The Legend of Zelda: Distant Reflections
by young-Hud
Summary: After a long mission through the provinces of Hyrule, Link returns to his childhood friend and love interest Zelda. But when A mysterious young man from the world over comes to Hyrule with desperate message, Our heroes world is turned upside down.LinkXZel
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first fanfiction EVER! So I can only hope that you guys like it. It will definately pick up as it goes on. So PLEASE, read it and tell me what you guys think:)

------------ Chapter 1: The Return

A gentle breeze shifted the cool night air through Castle Town, playing at the tassels and bristling equipment on link's person. He walked leisurely through town with his fingers locked behind his head, inhaling deeply in order to indulge his nose with as much of the savory smells of home as possible. Link had, just two days ago, completed his long range recon of the kingdom of Hyrule, his beloved homeland, and he had just made it to the city of Castle Town.

It was a time when there were more and more enemies of the state, and the laws of the land had to be upheld. So the king decreed that his knights would bi-annually embark on long range recons, traveling to all 23 of the provinces in the kingdom. During these six month tours of duty, the knight whose name had been selected would travel from town to town, helping the locals, killing monsters, and investigating crimes against the kingdom. It was in this manner the knights of Hyrule had gained a beloved relationship with the people of the kingdom. Needless to say, being both the legendary hero of time, and a Major in the knight corps of Hyrule, Link had become quite the celebrity in recent times. This is why King Roy II Chose Link to perform this latest recon, to raise the spirits of the people.

Link continued to walk through the serene scene of Castle Town at the midnight hour. His swagger was carefree and cheerful, and with good reason! He hadn't been home in six months! This had been his first LRR (long range reconnaissance) and he was ecstatic to be home once more. He couldn't wait to see the look of glee on Zelda's face when he approached her. She took the news of his selection for LRR duty harder than anyone. She knew he could take care of himself, but even so she had been worried at the prospect of his absence for so long, on such a dangerous journey. He remembered he had left her during this very same hour six months ago with a swift kiss on the forehead, and the words, "Until next we meet." Now he grinned into the face of the night, thinking of how smooth that must have sounded.

Zelda and Link had always had a "romance by suggestion" relationship. He did have feelings for her, and she for him, but they were tacit. When the feelings were manifested, they always took the form of a long silent hug, or a subtle display of affection. She never really expressed her feelings for Link until right before he left six months ago. And now, he was on his way back. She'd be so excited to see him! Even the town gate guard almost did cartwheels when he saw link approaching from the field on his horse. Naturally, he contained this urge until after he opened the gate for him.

After his stroll through the sleepy market, Link approached the last checkpoint before reaching the castle, the gates. The two sentries posted at the gate visibly tensed and made ready when they saw a weapon bristled, heavily armed silhouette step fourth from the darkness. "Who goes there?!" shouted the shorter of the two guards as he tightened his grip on his spear. Link smiled deeply as he stepped from the shadows of the market into the range of their torches. "Link!!" the shorter guard exclaimed, his countenance morphing from terse to beaming so fast it freaked out link. "It's about time you came back boy!" "I see you've been lost without me Duncan" Link replied, with a casual grin and a poke of the elbow. "Heh, we started to think that maybe the wolfos got ya!" Duncan said, motioning to his comrade, the taller guard. "This is Felix, he's a newbie, but he's got spunk. Don't talk much though" Link gave Felix the wink-and-the-gun. Felix simply nodded silently. "Anyway, how did that 18th birthday go for you Link? Did you get that 'thing' I sent ya'?" Duncan tried with all his ability to maintain a straight face. He was doing a pretty poor job. "Link snickered, heh, I spent it with the stalfos, and yeah, I got your 'gift'!" Link exclaimed. He remembered how happy had been to receive a package from home. The rapping was burlap tied around a box with twine. Scrawled on the box was: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINK, DUNCAN. He had opened it with great haste, threw the lid aside, and peered into the box. Just then a Poe ghost flew out at him! He actually messed himself he was so surprised! Duncan had a twisted sense of humor indeed! Now Duncan was freely laughing and carrying on about it. "I can SO see the look that must have been on your face! HA!! I bet you peed in your pants, didn't you?!" Link just rolled his eyes. "You're a sick man Duncan." He exclaimed as he began to continue towards the castle, trying to hide his embarrassment. Felix opened the gate for Link as he passed. Link through up a wave towards Duncan and Felix as he continued down the path to the castle. "Hey!" Duncan called after him. "Later, make sure you show me some of the new gizmos you picked up!" Link did, in fact, obtain many new gadgets and such on his journey. He had always had a tendency to collect eccentric tools and weapons. When he met Duncan a few years ago, Duncan took an immediate interest in all the knick knacks he picked up. So link allowed Duncan to display his findings in a museum he was trying to get off the ground. Link held a "thumbs up" in the air as if to say, "Sure thing Duncan!" and continued walking.

Link continued up the stone walkway, listening to the soft clicking of his thick soles against the cobblestone. After a short stroll, he stepped to the edge of the moat, awaiting one of the guards to lower the drawbridge. He waited patiently as the guard nearest to the controls on the other side of the moat jogged up to meet him from across the water. "State your business!" the guard barked, clearly annoyed to leave his post for some vagabond that must have snuck past the first checkpoint. This had been a growing problem lately and the guard sergeant was considering filing a complaint to the captain. "Well," Link said, is that any way to greet the man that got your son that keeton mask he wanted?" The guard squinted across the bridge into the darkness. "Link, is that you!?" He stepped to the bridge controls, grasped the biggest of three levers and pulled it to the right, causing the bridge to steadily lower to the ground in a cacophony of clinks and clanks. Once more, the guard sergeant took up a jog, this time across the bridge to meet Link (stumbling at least thrice on the way). "Long time no see Mr. Hero!" He panted as he held his knees, trying to catch his breath "What has everyone been up to since I left?" asked Link, giving his old friend a pat on the back. "Well let's see… with the king, huff… it has pretty much been… business as usual.", he murmured through his panting. Link raised an eyebrow. "You've really let yourself go Serge! Good thing I'm back! You guys have been slacking on your training sessions while I was gone, huh?" "Well, It's not…huff, I mean..." The sergeant trailed off into an array of excuses. "Ha, I thought so! Don't worry, now that your training commander is back," Link beamed, pointing to himself with his thumb," I'm gonna whip you slackers into shape!" He proclaimed with a devious smirk. The king had taken note of Link's masterful combat skills and appointed him the training commander for the non-commissioned officers. He had enjoyed it, but he figured his men would slack off while he was gone. "Aw, come on Link, It's just the, uh, thin mountain air blowing in from the east!" The Sergeant replied sheepishly, knowing there must have been a million mile jog in his immediate future. "Nice try tubby!" Link was laughing now,"Just don't be surprised if next week we run from castle town, to the gerrudo Valley, and back three times." The serge moaned,"well as I was saying, for the king, it's been business as usual since you left. But to everyone else, your absence weighed heavy on our souls." "And how is Zelda?" Link asked excitedly. "She missed you the most." Link decided he had wasted enough time mingling with the guards. "Sorry to cut you short, but that is all I need to hear." Link said as he started towards the castle, and through the enormous archway into the foyer. A warm smile spread across the  
sergeant's face. He called after link, "Go get her boy!" He then began the return trip to his post at the controls. However this time, he walked.

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SO!? How was it? That was chapter one! Next time, we see the reconcilliation of Link and Zelda. We also meet some mysterious new characters, as well as some old favorites!

So stick around for Chapter 2: The plot thickens! I promise I will update SUPER often, so please, bare with me and tell me what you think of my story! .


	2. Chapter 2: The plot Thickens!

Hello all! Hope you guys are ready for some more goodness! Okay, let's jump right into it!

Chapter 2: the plot thickens!

When Link stepped through the two foot thick, twin oak doors and into the sleepy castle, he was hastily greeted in the darkness with a pull of the hair and a shimmering blade held to his throat. "Woah! Impa, It's me!" Link shouted. The grip on his hair relinquished and Impa stepped forth from her vantage behind him. "Heh, you've grown careless Link!" Impa whispered with a grin as she messed up his hair playfully.

Impa, one of the proud Sheikan warriors, was Princess Zelda's personal body guard. Zelda, having Just had her nineteenth birthday three weeks ago, no longer needed a nanny, so now, Impa spent much of the time she'd freed up beefing up castle security, or in this case, personally patrolling the halls of the castle! Impa had served the royal family for generations, and at two-hundred something years old, (She would never tell her age directly!), Impa was still a master in combat and a wise counselor. The sole determinate of her age was her hair, which had, in recent years, gone from platinum, to a metallic grey. Else wise, Impa could easily be mistaken for a mid-forties hylean woman.

"Damn it's good to see you again kid! I'd say a third of my biggest concerns have just been lain to rest." Impa told Link as they both strolled in the low, flickering candle light. "Well, first order of business, I need to give my report to the king." Link proclaimed cheerfully. "You can do that in the morning!" Impa replied hastily. "The king is asleep anyway. And besides, you look like you could use the sleep!" Impa was clearly referring the slight droop in his face. Link had ridden for two days straight to get home as fast as possible. The anticipation and adrenaline had fueled him initially, but now, he was feeling the full effect of his poor sleeping habits. "Come on." Impa said "We left your room exactly as you left it!" Before Link could respond, she grasped his arm and led the way.

_The blood was freely running out of the gash on Link's head now. If he didn't finish this fast, he would bleed out. He clutched the hilt of what was left of his latest sword. He hissed on his own blood as he fiercely glared at the three Garro interceptors in front of him. This was the sixth sword he'd broken in four months. Link's fighting style was much too brutal for any sword but the Master Sword to withstand for long. How he wished he had that sacred blade now! Enough is enough, he had to conclude this. He scowled at the nearest of the three cloaked warriors, all of which were armed with countless manners of sharp unforgiving steel under their greatcoats. Link thrust himself from his haunches into the air with a powerful leap. His marred blade homed on his foe, as he neared… Then, all was muted and white…_

When Zelda opened her eyes, she was staring at the floor. "Ugh" She moaned, this was the third night in a row she'd had that same dream. And once again, in the midst of it, she had rolled off the bed! Zelda stood to her feet and gave a long satisfying yawn to the morning sunshine that streamed into the bedroom. She had never been too fond of castle living, but she had to admit that little could compare to the view of the morning sunrise from the castle. Zelda stood there for a few moments staring out the window into the vastness of the countryside beyond Castle Town. "Link" She murmured. He'd been gone now for six months, two weeks and four days exactly. The thought of his jovial smile brought a little bit of warmth into her routine. As she got dressed and brushed her long golden hair, she smiled at herself in the mirror. She knew Link would not want her to mope around whenever he was away, so she stayed strong. She really wanted to prove to him that she wasn't just some dainty princess to be rescued all the time. Unfortunately, she tried so hard, that she may have started to push him away. Zelda had stopped brushing now as she stared off, lamenting. She was always trying to show Link how tough she was. So much so that she denied her desire to fall into his arms and tell him just how much she loved him. On that day he left, Zelda swore to herself that when Link returned, she would tell him just how strong her feelings for him were. She smiled to herself as she went back to brushing. "When he gets back…"

Impa rounded the corner out of the ballroom and into the hall. Link wasn't awake yet, and Zelda didn't know he was here. Impa couldn't wait to see their reunion. She had always known they had strong feelings for each other, but she kept quiet. In her own silent way, she really wanted them to hook up! So she, at times like today, tried to set them up. However this time, the time they spent apart would surly intensify their feelings towards one another! She was such a sucker for romance! When she finally stepped to the door to the king's office, she knocked twice, and then let herself in. "Good morning Impa." King Roy started through smiling teeth as he stroked his sandy brown beard. "What brings you to my office?" He asked as he sat behind his desk, still stroking the long facial hairs. "Well you know," Impa began "Link has returned to us." Roy's smile lit up as he heard the news, "Now that IS good news!" The king had great respect for Link. Not only because he was the Hero of Time, but for what Link did for his daughter. Zelda had never been able to accept life as a princess, her restless and adventurous spirit kept her in a constant state of meloncaly. That is, until Link came into her life, she'd cheered up and began to enjoy life more. Unfortunately, upon Link's departure, the king could tell that a little bit of that sadness had crept back into her life. So the news of Link's return struck him exceptionally well. "Has he seen Zelda yet?" Roy asked excitedly. "No, he was insisting to all last night, but I finally talked him into seeing her this morning. He'll be waking up soon." Impa was now nonchalantly pacing around the office. "Fabulous!" The king exclaimed as he pumped his fist a little. He then played it off as if he could contain his excitement by trying to maintain a straight face. "So" He said becoming very serious, very fast. "Is there anything new happening with our 'guest'?" Impa also dropped her smile for a look of professional detachment. "No change, he's still teetering on the edge of death. The docs don't expect him to make it another day. Roy winced. I only pray he makes it, for a kid like that to die in a strange land as a reward for his own good nature, that's just not right."

"I wonder where he's from." Impa pitched in defeatedly. "I dunno" Roy replied, "but I sure hope he pulls through, anyone who saves my daughter's life is a friend of mine."

Something fishy was going on. Zelda could feel it as she sat at the breakfast table with Impa, her father, and the six knights whom which were close friends of both hers and the family. Not only was it too quiet, but everyone kept glancing at her, then away when she caught them staring! The king and the general were talking politics, Impa was conversing with Volnut, a knight Leutenant and close friend to Link.

Volnut was a Midsized young man of twenty-one with emerald green eyes and jet black hair. Quite the oddity in Hyrule. His family was originally from one of the western countries. He and Link became fast friends when they met amongst the ranks. Link would always say it was a "brothers in arms" type of relationship, but Zelda thought it was because they were so similar. Link was the youngest member of the Knight Corps followed by Volnutt. As such, they tended to gravitate towards each other in a rivalry type relationship.

At the moment, Volnut was discussing inflation with Impa Everyone else pretty much just ate silently. "So how is that guy doing" Zelda asked, trying to start a conversation. Despite the trite use of the label "that guy", everyone knew exactly whom she was talking about. "Well the doctors say he isn't looking good." Volnutt replied bluntly. They say he has many serious injurys that predate that incident in the market place." "So he was injured before he fought those hooded guys?" Zelda questioned. "Yep, it would appear so" Roy finished.

"Enough about that!" The king exclaimed. "Zelda, I have fabulous news for you sweetheart!" Oh boy! She thought, anytime he said "fabulous" like that, it either meant that he wanted to go on some father-daughter bonding spree, or that some country had sighned some kind of agreement with Hyrule. Both of which were equally tiring to her. The king guestured towards the doors that led into the room. The doors swung open through them walked Link.

Zelda couldn't believe her eyes! She lept up from her seat, and greeted link with a warm hug. Tears rolled from her eyes as they embraced and she knew that everything was going to be alright. For the next few hours, Link and Zelda strolled hand in hand through the courtyards and gardens of the castle, filling each other in on the finest details of the time they had missed with eachother. "So that explains it!" Zelda shouted excitedly, as they talked. It turned out, she had been dreaming about something that had really happened to Link on his travels. The two finally wound up in the courtyard where they first met, embracing gingerly. "So did anything interesting happen when I was gone?" Link asked as he ran his fingers through Zelda's fine hair and across her cheek. "Well, I was attacked…" Zelda began. She felt every muscle in Link's body tense. "What! By who!" he blurted. She had been reluctant to tell him because she knew he would react like this. "Well, these hooded guys with knives came at me in the market." "Where was Impa?" Link questioned. "Well, I sort of snuck out of the castle." Zelda replied with a sheepish grin. "Anyways, this guy, he came out of nowhere and fought them off! He killed one guy, and defeated the other. The one who was neutralized pulled out this bomb from under his coat and just POW, blew himself up! But the guy who saved me got caught in the explosion. He's been in a coma ever since. I never even got his name. He's clearly from another country though. We've been keeping him here in the castle, but the doctors don't know if he'll make it or not. He apparently had some very serious injuries before he even got into that scrap." By the time Zelda finished, Link had a look of shock on his countenance. Why would Garo warriors be here, in the 1st province of Hyrule? Could it be A direct plot against the Royal Family? What was going on? Garo never show up unless something HUGE was going down. They were an elite group of warriors native to the countries in the North East. One might say they were those countries equivalent of Shiekan shadow warriors. More importantly, they were extremely potent warriors. A well situated Garro, with his lightning speed and brutal capabilities could easily overwhelm ten men. So if this guy was injured, and he fought off two of them, he must have been something else. Link had to meet this guy, maybe by doing so, he could put the pieces together, because something was definitely amiss.

Link and Zelda stood side by side in the infirmery at the bedside of the mysterious foreigner. Everyone had said that this guy was "obviously" from somewhere else, but it didn't click until Link saw him for himself. He was DEFINITELY not from Hyrule. Link had never seen anyone quite like him before. The stranger's skin was very dark, like the color of raisins, and he was tall. About six feet tall, a proposterous height for a hylian, whom which even the tall ones were mostly under 5'9". (Yes, this is Hyrule's first black guy!) His features were foreign, but link figured this guy to be no older than nineteen, but no younger than seventeen. His face was placid in his coma, but it revealed a life of strife through the hardness of it's features. His head was shaved bald, and even so was currently covered in bandages. Link gave a tacit thanks to the man that had saved his love. He really wanted this guy to survive, he wanted to thank him properly, plus he had many questions for him. Link looked at the small table that sat beside the bed. On it were what must have been this guy's belongings. There were many knick knacks the likes of which Link had never seen, but what truly drew his attention was his sword. The sword was a long bastard sword, with a rounded hilt and an exceptionally long handle. The blade must have been five feet long! But here was the catch, the blade was one huge diamond! Through the translucency of the blade, Link could see a cross made of wood suspended in the diamond of the blade. To say that it was a beautiful sword would have been the understatement of a lifetime.

Now Link REALLY wanted to meet this guy. Who was he? And why was he here? How did he sustain those injuries? What will happen next? Find out in chapter 3!

So what do you all think? I'm doing my best, please keep reading! HA Hyrule Finally has a black guy in it now! (For the record, I am black, so don't trip) Stay tuned for the next installment! Chapter 3: invasion


	3. Chapter 3

Okey Dokey folks, this is where things start to get raw, so hold on to your butts! This chapter is a little short, but I haven't had a lot of time lately, but it is still a hoot!

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Chapter 3: Rude awakening

Link awoke abruptly in the middle of the night covered in a cold sweat. His hands were cold and clammy, his bare chest and face were equally sweaty. He felt as though he had just had a horrifying nightmare, but he had no recollection of it. He knew this feeling. He'd felt it several times before. It was an awareness, a knowledge that something horrendous was about to unfold. Link swiftly jumped out of bed and rolled across the floor, grabbing his dagger along the way. He landed in the corner of the room and quickly surveyed his quarters. There was nothing. Link held the blade in front of him. It was actually the tiny sword he'd once brandished as a child, the Kokiri sword, but these days it served Link as his sidearm. He clutched the hilt tightly as he looked left and right for any signs of danger. There was nothing. All was quiet but the rapid beating of his heart, and the internal voice that kept telling him something dreadful was about to happen.

Images of Junto's father and mother danced in front of his eyes as he faded in and out of consciousness. They were his memories, only tainted with the hindsight of his parent's death. He would see a memory of a time when he and his parents sat down to breakfast, his father would chit chat with him and his mother about the economy of the country and her neighbors. His father would show so much enthusiasm on his dark and hardened features when he spoke of things that interested him. In the scene Junto was seeing now, his father still talked of the same things with such passion and zeal, however this time there was a sword jabbed through his chest, the hilt sticking out of his ribcage. He was still talking as if he had no idea he was dead. Junto's mother was there too, only now, in addition to the warm smile she gave Junto with her mouth, she also smiled at him through the gaping laceration extending ear to ear across her throat. Junto wanted to escape, to stand and run from these horrible images of his undead parents, but he could not move. He could only sit at the table and continue to relive this breakfast long past with a macabre new twist. The only reprieve he received from his gruesome nightmares was an occasional drift into fuzzy consciousness. When he did come around, he would sometimes see the pale face of some foreign woman hovering over him. Was she a nurse? He wanted to ask questions, to stand and assess his situation, but before he could ever utter a syllable, he would lose strength and fall back into his hallucinatory lethargy.

Since childhood, Link had always possessed a sixth sense of sorts. He could foresee impending atrocities before they happened. However, it had always troubled him that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop his "prophecies" from happening. This was different somehow, he hadn't seen anything, and yet, something felt very wrong. There was some indistinguishable image burned into his mind. Link knew it was evil. Something was amiss; he could see it every time he blinked his eyes. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just a bad nightmare, or perhaps his fatigue had finally caught up with him. Link sat silently in the corner of his room ruminating on these things. His foresight had never failed him, but this time it was too different. Besides how could something so horrible happen now? Link stood to his feet, still shrugging the chill that ran through to his bones. He replaced the dagger on the nightstand, opened the door, and walked out of the room into the cool night air of the castle. Link had decided that taking a walk would help him sort his thoughts. He began to stroll down the sleepy castle halls at a brisk pace, occasionally peering out of a window here and there. His bare feet padded softly against the stone floors. On any other night, he'd have been chilled by the cool stone under his feet, but tonight, Link's mental anxiety had taken care of that little detail. His legs already seemed to know where to take him, even before he consciously knew where he was going. Lost in his thoughts, Link noticed nothing around him until he realized he had stopped walking.

Link stood in the dark hallway in front of Zelda's bedroom. He didn't even remember walking here! However, he did know that Zelda was the one person he wanted to see right now. She could always absolve his uneasiness with her calm words, or gentle touch. Link remembered his get together with the princess earlier in the day; he'd been so carefree when he was with her. Even now, just thinking of her was beginning to dissipate his qualms. Should he wake her? It was very late; in fact, it was so late it was early! Now that Link had Zelda on his mind, he had to see her. Besides, she had a much greater understanding of the paranormal, prophecies and the like, than he could ever know. As a matter of fact, she had prophetic dreams of her own from time to time. Yep, Link and Zelda were a pretty strange pair, but he was the hero of time, and she the princess of destiny. What could one expect?

Throwing caution to the wind, Link rapped three times on the door. Even if Zelda didn't want to see him this late, (Which he prayed wasn't the case), after that strange "dream" he had, he at least wanted to make sure she was alright. After a moment or so of silence, Link heard stirring within the room. A few seconds later, the door cracked open ever-so-slightly, only revealing the sapphire eye the peaked out the door. "Link!" Zelda shouted as she fully opened the door and snatched him into the room, holding him in a tight embrace. "I was just thinking about you." "Me too," Link replied. Finally Zelda let go of Link in order to speak her mind. "If you're here, now, then you must have felt it. You felt the darkness too didn't you?" Link nodded as he replied. "Yeah, I didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't quite like before, yet I still felt impending danger." "Me too," Zelda said, as she eased back onto the edge of her bed. "How do you think I felt? As soon as I woke up, there was a loud knock at my door!" Link just scratched his head sheepishly. "Anyway," Link said. "We should both keep our guards up. Let's be extra careful." Zelda nodded "Since there are no leads, we can only precede with caution." She added. "I'll keep my eyes open for anything strange." Link told her, then stopped, but portrayed a look as if he left something unsaid. "What is it Link?" Zelda prodded. It wasn't until now that Link's eyes really adjusted to the moonlight streaming into Zelda's window, allowing him to see her clearly. He'd somehow managed to forget how beautiful she was, especially in the moonlight. "Hey, do you wanna go out tomorrow?" He asked coyly, throwing in one of his signature grins to seal the deal. "We could go swimming in Lake Hylia!" He added. Zelda smiled and gave him an affectionate kiss on the lips. "It's a sure thing Mister, 'Let's be extra careful'! She teased trying to mimic his voice. "Hey!" Link protested with a smirk as he began out the door. "We can have fun and still be careful!" He assured her. "Yeah yeah," she ribbed him. "I'll see you in the morning, Stud" She told him as she gently closed the door. "It already is morning" Link retorted playfully through the door. "Touché," He heard from the other side. "Good night babe!" Link finally whispered as he started down the hall. They had apparently reached the point in their relationship where they started to give each other pet names. Zelda seemed to be toying with this "stud" thing, and Link rather enjoyed calling Zelda "Babe". Link smiled as he headed for his room, this chat with Zelda did make him feel one hundred percent better. He was blissfully unaware that this time, when he smiled into the face of the night, the face of the night was glowering back at him.

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BOOM! Another chapter goes down. Sry that one took so long, I've been busy with college stuff. So, what do you guys think so far? I know the chapters are short, but I'm trying to build suspense for the introduction of the conflict in the story. I promise the next chapter will be super long just for you people that tolerate my love of suspense. So PLEASE keep reading and reviewing! . Okay, stay tuned for chapy 4: the face of the night (OOOOOH SPOOKY!) :p


	4. Chapter 4: Blood

Hey yall! This is chapy 4! And I guarantee it to be the most Action packed hum dinging chapter yet! It's also extra long and exciting to make up for all the short suspenseful chapters earlier. :p Thanks again, please R&R

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Chapter 4: Blood

When Junto opened his eyes, his vision was flooded with the first clear images he'd seen in what felt like years. He was apparently laying in some kind of infirmary. Warm sunlight streamed through the window and diffused into the room via the pure white stone walls. He could move now, so he sat up, feeling only slightly groggy from his prolonged coma. How long had he been unconscious? Were the heck was he? Upon circumspection of the room, he had answered his own question. There were many ornaments and decorations bearing the triforce symbol, so he must have still been in Hyrule. His effects lay at his bedside, his sword leaned against the wall, and his clothes and smaller items neatly folded and arranged on a nightstand beside him. He had something important to do, but what? He was in too much of a stupor to remember. There was something of life and death importance that he needed to tell someone. He wracked the furthest confines of his mind for answers, trying to remember something so vague, and yet so very important.

"Come on Zelda, how are you just going to poop on the party like that?!" Link shouted from the pristine waters of Lake Hylia with a casual tone of humor in his voice. Zelda merely stuck her tongue out at him from her nice, _dry_ beach towel on the shore. "Why would you come to the lake if you don't want to get wet?" Link asked as he swam to shore and marched over to where Zelda was sunbathing. _She looks awesome in that bathing suit!_ He thought to himself. "I came here to spend time with my little Linkums! Not to get all wet and dirty!" Zelda protested. She enjoyed the rise she got out of Link when she called him that. Link sighed, "Then you leave me no choice little girl." He proclaimed matter-of-factly as he made his way closer. Zelda opened her eyes just in time to see Link reach down and scoop her off of her towel. "AH! NO LINK!!!" She screamed kicking playfully. Link hefted her to the waters edge and tossed her into the lake. She screamed all the way down, and landed with a splash. "Oh it's on now boy!" She yelled at Link splashing and dunking him under the surface of the cool water.

Junto swung his legs over the edge of the bedside and allowed his bare feet to touch the cool marble floor. It wasn't until then that he realized just how nice his accommodations were. The floor was a smooth rolling marble that met the pure white walls at a green base. The lone window was huge, allowing tons of sunlight to pour into the room like a ship taking on water. Even the sole nightstand was beautifully hand crafted from red oak, stained to a perfect hue of mahogany. Junto slowly stood up and began to pace the room as he wondered how he had gotten there. On his third lap around the room, he stopped at the large, full length mirror in the corner of the room. He inspected the tall dark young man who stared back at him. "Quite handsome," he thought aloud. He was only wearing a pair of grey sweat pants, so he could see his muscular chest and torso, as well as the extent of the damage that had been done to his body. His lean, muscular build and handsome sable features were offset by bandages here, and gauss there. Having nothing better to do, he began to remove the bandages one by one, peeling them off and peering beneath them. He had always been a fast healer, and true to life, most of his wounds were already nothing more than scars now. How did he sustain these injuries? And what was this pounding voice in the midst of his subconscious telling him there was still something he had to do? "Come on!" He thought aloud, trying to prompt his own memory. Then, as if on cue, it snapped. Everything fell into place with such suddenness that he couldn't move. All of the memories came crashing back into his mind. With each bandage he removed, he would recollect how he'd gotten the scar. Memories of sharp unforgiving steel and wicked blades flashed before his eyes. Then there was that girl he saved in the market. Junto smiled to himself. "Go figure," What a coincidence that she turned out to be the princess of this land. And finally, his train of thought brought him to where he was now, the castle. "Oh my goodness, you shouldn't be up!!" A female voice behind him caused him to spin around. It was that same hovering face from his dreams. Now, seeing her in her entirety, she _must_ have been a nurse. Why else would she were such a lame outfit? Junto thought, taking note of her long white stockings, skirt, and the puffy shoulders of her blouse. "My name is Junto, I am the last judge of the kingdom of Ritz," He spoke quickly. "I have to speak with the king; I've brought news of the utmost urgency."

After changing back into their street clothes, Link and Zelda began the trip back to the castle hand in hand. "I told you that you would have more fun if you got wet!" Link teased, knowing that Zelda enjoyed herself in the water, although at this point, she would never admit it to him. "Yeah, well, you'd better watch it stud, because I still owe you one for that!" Zelda proclaimed as she tried to shake the water out of her ears. Link just flashed his trademark grin, "You know you liked it!" He responded playfully, "How about I make it up to you with a kiss?" He bargained. Zelda leaned in close to kiss him, but he backed away. "Is that a yes?" He inquired, still smiling. "Kiss me and we'll see." Zelda replied coquettishly as she made kissing faces and batted her eyelashes at him. "So are you implying that there is a possibility that I may pay you with this kiss, and still have a debt to pay to you?" Link asked feigning shock. "Perhaps," Zelda replied, affectionately moving closer. "So then what you are telling me, my dear princess," Link began with a coy grin," is that you are planning to _steal_ a kiss from me!" "Yep," she replied giggling. "I'm Shocked Princess!" Link retorted playfully, "I thought you were a woman of scruples!" Amused by Link's playful accusations, Zelda finally closed her eyes, leaned in, and kissed his lips tenderly. There was no response, Link neither reacted nor kissed her back. Zelda opened her eyes to investigate, and found link standing there with a look of utter disbelief on his face, his azure eyes were wide, staring off behind her. Zelda smirked. "Well I know I'm a good kisser but"- She cut herself off when Link's finger pointed to something behind her. She spun around and beheld the cause of Link's shock. In the distance, she could see an orange glow on the horizon. All of castle town was aflame! Monstrous plumes of smoke rose from the charred and burning buildings. All of Zelda's breath left her, as she looked on in horror.

"The king is quite busy right now, but if you would only wait a few hours, I'm sure he'll see you." Junto's nurse told him. "Besides, you're going to need some more time to recover from your injuries!" Junto didn't have the time for this. He'd already lost too much precious time as it was. It turned out, as the nurse had informed him, he'd been unconscious for five days! He was only six days ahead of the enemy! "Trust me, I'm wide awake lady, and I _will_ see the king" Junto replied as he stepped to his bedside and put on his thick leather boots. At this point, he had surmised that he was in the castle. The view from the window, and opulent surroundings were a dead give away. If this nurse wouldn't take him to see the king, he would find the king himself. If the people of this land, Hyrule, were to stand a ghost of a chance at fending off what was coming for them, their King must be warned. Junto dumped all his effects into his pockets and grabbed his sword, which caused quite a start in the nurse. "Look, I have to go and"- CRACK! A sound one hundred times louder than the most earsplitting thunder rang out, followed by a cacophony of screams and shouts. "Oh no," Junto cried out. "I'm too late! It's starting again!"

Junto dashed out of the infirmary with his diamond bladed sword, Zeng, firmly in hand. He stepped through the threshold and into the castle courtyard. From what he could see, it looked as though it was once a beautiful castle, but as it was, there were flames licking the ceiling and blood running down the walls in an array of patterns. Bodies were strewn every which way, and the smell of death was strong. Hundreds of people were running here and there in a panic, screaming, not even knowing what they were running from. Three more ear splitting cracks rang out, and several walls blew inward from the explosions. The knights and soldiers of the castle ran around trying to get organized, most just running for thier lives. And still as these people ran from their invisible assailants, they were being killed by the dozens. Run through by phantom blades or mangled in some horrible way. The soldiers that tried to fight were killed instantly by unseen forces. It was too late for these people. Junto had failed his mission. And now the people of Hyrule would meet the same fate that had been bestowed upon his own people. The only option left for him now was escape. He had to get the hell out! Bare-chested, sword in hand, he ran for what looked like the way out.

"No!!" Link shouted bluntly. "You stay right here!" Link and Zelda stood at the entrance to the Lon Lon Ranch, beside Talon, a short plump man with a wide mustache whom owned the ranch, and had been a friend of Link's for many years. Talon stood a few feet away, trying to stay out of their tiff, he was holding the harness of a mare that he intended to lend to Link, and staring into the brilliant light that was emitting from the blaze in the distance. "My father is in the castle, I have to go with you!" Zelda shouted, tears began to well up in her eyes. She had not seen Link this serious in a very long time. Why did terrible things keep happening to them every time things seemed to be going so well? She once again glanced at the ball of flame on the horizon. The whole city was engulfed within the inferno. Even at such a distance of a couple miles away, she could hear the screams of people, no doubt being slain in some horrible fashion. An occasional flash of light and loud crash issued forth from behind the city walls, Zelda wondered what it was. "How could this happen?" She asked Link dejectedly, she knew that if she went with him, she would only get in the way. So once again, she was forced to play the hand that everyone was waiting for. She winced as she thought about how powerless she was. Despite being a member of the royal family, when it came right down to moments like this, the here and the now, her lineage never amounted to more than a hill of magic beans. "So what the hell is happening?" Talon interdicted during the silence that befell the two lovers. "That is what I'm going to find out." Link replied tersely. "If this is so big that the capital city has been overwhelmed, then you should probably prepare to get out of dodge Talon." Link told his old friend solemnly, knowing he would be reluctant to leave his life's work, the ranch, behind. "Malon and I have already started packing." Talon said despondently. Malon was Talon's only daughter and only living family after his wife had died in the barn fire all those many years ago. How he wished his beloved homeland wasn't always plagued with disasters that put his stunted family through more and more misery. He walked over to his old friend, grabbed his wrist, and placed a short bladed dagger with a cloth wrapped handle into his hand. "You'll need it," he told Link sagely. As if to punctuate the clear and present danger, another series of ultra-loud cracks rang out from the direction of the city. The Mare jumped and trembled. Talon soothed the horse with a rub on his nose. "Just wait for me okay?" Link told Zelda trying his best to sound reassuring. "Take care of her Talon. If things get too bad, will you take her with you and Malon?" Talon nodded. "You'd better be careful!" Zelda told him through her tears. Link gave her a final kiss on the forehead, waved to Talon, mounted the horse, and raced off towards what was once the capital city, but now looked much more analogous to the gates of hell.

The exit to the castle was blocked. To the untrained eye, it was all clear, the draw bridge was down and the gates were open, but Junto knew that the invisible fiends were waiting. He had just moments ago seen about half a dozen people lose their heads all at the same time as they ran out the doorway. Screams and shouts, explosions and death rang out in the early afternoon. The sun was blotted out by the thick clouds of smoke spiraling overhead. From this vantage point, Junto could see that the entire town was under attack. He was in the main foyer that led out of the castle and into town. But he had to find a safe way out. He shared the foyer with about sixty people whom were running about, screaming and dying pitifully.

Junto's ears reported to him a distinctive sound behind him, the ever so quiet sound of an approach. Junto tucked and rolled to his left, and came out of the roll with his sword at the ready. He couldn't see it, but he knew he had just narrowly avoided being cleaved in two. These Garro warriors didn't play games; they wasted no time and killed indiscriminately. Junto had vied against them before, during a very similar situation within his own country.

Junto quickly assessed this large foyer where he intended to make his stand. To his right, there was a ragtag group of what appeared to be hardened warriors. Among them were a few soldiers, a couple knights, as conveyed by the markings on their armor, and an older looking woman wearing a Shiekan combat uniform. They all stood back to back in a circle as not to be flanked. Junto Considered joining their squad to fight the enemy, but ultimately surmised that there was safety in solitude.

To Junto's left, was that which all within the room sought after; the exit. It stood as a symbol of escape, pouring the orange light of the burning city into the room. It was so close yet so far. Once more, Junto's keen hearing betrayed the location of his invisible pursuer. He waited patiently, feigning ignorance. He was waiting on a gut feeling. In combat, all one _can_ do is go with his gut. The instant Junto was certain that the phantom was lashing out at him with some invisible and arbitrary weapon; he leaped backwards, and landed a few feet away, his boots slipping through a puddle of blood. A clank rang out amidst the din, and a chip of marble dislodged from the floor where Junto had stood. He immediately thrust his double edged sword into the thin air before him. Through the hilt, he could feel the reverberations of the blade sliding into the chest cavity of his foe, slicing through the organs, scraping and splintering the bones. Thick red blood began to run from the emptiness where Junto's blade was situated. With one quick motion, he retracted his outstretched arm, pulling his sword out of his fallen adversary. Now blood sprayed from the nothingness before him, and Junto scoffed as he heard the thud of a body hitting the floor. "Useless" He breathed, before putting a considerable distance between himself, and the body. Within a few moments, the body exploded violently into flames and shrapnel. The Garro, were master bomb makers. A stipulation within their doctrine was that when they die, no Garro leaves a corpse. Somehow, they'd engineered their bodies to explode at death. And as Junto had learned the hard way during that fight in the market, if they were near death, they would not hesitate to blow themselves up the old fashioned way!

Then suddenly, all of the invaders became visible. The halls that were empty moments ago were now occupied by dozens of cloaked warriors. The castle defenders and soldiers could now see who they were fighting against, but it did very little to shift the battle in their favor. A lone Garro warrior could fight and win against five men. These poor fools were outclassed, outmatched, and outnumbered, they had no chance.

Junto couldn't help but shiver at the feeling of deja vu he was feeling. He'd seen this _exact_ same thing once before. The sorceress' magic had worn off. Before each invasion, the entire invasion force would be enchanted by their head sorceress, rendering them invisible. But the spell only lasted for a limited time. Junto had been waiting for this moment; he had seen the sneaky bastards use these very same tactics against his countrymen. And just as before, although the cloaking wore off, they had already done more than enough damage to fatally wound any organization that would oppose them. Just like they did in Junto's country, the Garro had without a doubt simultaneously attacked the largest, most vital cities here in Hyrule. Within a couple of hours, the country was firmly within their hands. Now they simply had to mop up the stragglers. There was nothing more to be gained from his remaining here. He had to escape.

Junto's burnt-umber eyes gazed to the east, towards the exit. Sure enough, there were two enormous Garro-elites posted at the exit; undoubtedly charged with the task of ensuring that no one escaped. They were covered from head to toe by the greatcoats they wore. Only their gleaming green eyes were visible from under their hoods, and Junto knew from experience that each Garro possessed a plethora of weapons under their cloaks. Junto grinned; he had a knack for looking at the bright side of every situation. "At least now I can see you bastards!" He thought aloud. He brandished his weapon and charged at the Elite to the left of the door. "You're in the way!" He roared as he dashed into action. The fiend removed a wicked looking sword from somewhere within his coat, and stood ready; the sword in his right hand. As Junto ran, he just barely noticed the other hand of the Elite when it reached into his expansive coat and expertly flung a dagger at him. Junto raised his blade, and deflected the dagger with the foot-wide blade of his own sword. He then jumped into the air and came down hard with his weapon, striking blade to blade with this Garro warrior. The steel and diamond met with an awkward knocking sound, the two foes pushed against each other. Trying to gain ground, Junto put both of his hands on the hilt of his sword and brought his knee up into the Garro's gut. However, he seemed to hit a breastplate or other manner of hardened metal and did no damage. What he _did_ do was leave himself open; the Garro with his non-sword hand removed _another_ sword from his cloak and swung for Junto's neck. Junto deftly let go of his own sword and ducked under the swing, causing his foe to topple forward. He then strafed the villain, jumped on his back, and brought his elbow down on the back of its head. "Gah!" The Garro cried out in pain, then without warning, a long jagged blade tore out through the back of the Garro's cape and lashed at Junto, forcing him to dismount clumsily with a start. _Damn! It's like these guys have three arms something!_ He thought, retrieving his own sword from the ground. He stood facing his opponent from about six feet away. Junto risked glancing to his right to see the previous entourage of seven was engaging the second Garro elite. When he looked back to his own adversary, the terror was already lunging at him! _NOW!!_ Junto thought. In an incredible display of strength, he plunged the blade of his sword into the stone floor, lodging it into the ground, and then took a step back. The Beast's attack was barred by the embedded blade, sending him reeling backwards from the shock and flinging his sword into the air. Junto leapt up onto the hilt of his sword, balancing about four feet above the ground. From there he leaped higher still, catching the fiend's sword in midair. As he began to fall, he aimed the blade at his opponent, and violently landed, sword first, on top of him, impaling the beast through the neck. Finally, Junto stepped back and admired his handiwork. "One down" He scoffed.

From the edge of town, the capitol city looked like the gates of hell, but as Link rode through the city gates and into the heart of the inferno, Link came to understand the true meaning of the words "indescribable horror". Headless, limbless bodies were strewn everywhere. The streets and walls were _painted_ with blood. Weather In the distance, or close by, Link continually heard the screams of women and children, right up until their voices were silenced by way of death. Garro shock troops were _everywhere_! They ran up and down the streets, checking every individual home, killing everything that moved. _Where did all of them come from!? _Link wondered. It was as if they just materialized in town. Link's stomach turned end over end as he rode past piles and piles of bodies stacked on high. Link began to feel the feeling he hadn't felt in some time. It was the feeling of every hair on his body standing on end, of the adrenaline pumping thick through his blood. This was how Link always felt just before a major battle. All of these innocent people, massacred for nothing. The bodies of the innocent lay in street corners, hanging out of windows, _everywhere._ All bathed in their own blood. Link was prepared to unleash heinous retribution upon the sick bastards that had so passionately slain his people.

It was for that reason that Link wasn't scared or even worried when a half dozen Garro soldiers finally noticed him and ran up to obstruct his path. Even though he had no weapons with the sole exception of Talon's dagger, he was unconcerned with the number of meat bags he would have to cut through to exact justice. Three more of the devilish fiends approached him from behind. Link calmly dismounted his horse, then slapped it on the rear as if to tell him, "Thanks for the ride buddy, now get out of here!" As if the horse understood Link's tacit message, it obediently trotted off in the direction they came from. The nearest Garro ran up and nonchalantly slashed the mare's head off with one fell swoop. Link winced as he watched Talon's beloved horse fall to the ground in two pieces. _You'll pay for that! For all of this, you will pay! All of you __**will **__pay!_ He eyed each of the nine hooded legionnaires before him as he pulled the dagger from his belt. They made no move; they seemed to see fit to allow Link the first move. "You are all going to die today." Link hissed between his clenched teeth with a fire in his eyes. At that, they all closed in on him, attempting to overwhelm him. Link stood ready as they came, the dagger in his left hand. His right hand trembled, not out of fear; it trembled with eagerness to put down these baby killing bastards.

The first Garro to make contact was also the first one to die. Link easily evaded the villain's sword swipe by sidestepping; he then instantly buried his own short blade into the back of his adversary's spine at the base of the neck. The Garro's body crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The next two attacked simultaneously, both were wielding a sword in each hand, attempting to skewer Link with a tag team stabbing maneuver. However, Link was much faster. He masterfully jumped straight up, achieving a vertical height of about six feet. He then, in midair, threw his dagger at the Garro on the right. The dagger landed smack dab in the center of his face, with the blade jabbing through his sinuses. As his enemy fell to the ground Link landed on top of him, ensuring the demise of his foe by smashing his windpipe with the heel of his thick boot. Before the Garro on the left had the chance to recover from his botched attack, Link grabbed his face in the palm of his right hand, used his foot to sweep the bastard's legs out from under him, and smashed the back of his skull on the unforgiving cobblestone of the market. At this point, the other six warriors were approaching much more cautiously than before, but their discretion proved futile. Link held his hand before his face, palm up to the sky, and smiled at his foes. "Die" He insisted matter of factly. He then knelt down and slammed his palm to the earth. From the point of impact, a hemispherical pillar of flames erupted from around Links body and engulfed the remaining grunts. As his foes burned, Link watched pitilessly until they finally ceased their flailing and fell to the ground, dead. He then spun on his heel, and continued towards the castle.

Link was not violent by nature; he was forged into an efficient killer by a lifetime of strife. As a matter of fact Link was quite an amorous fellow. However, these were violent times and Link's feelings often took a backseat to his brutal efficiency in combat. Link had been introduced to the concept of "kill or be killed" at the age of ten. Since then, he had more often then not engaged in mortal combat. He was a lighthearted young man, who had seen too much, too soon. He was a prodigious master of combat, but was conflicted in his ways. His journeys led him to see many horrible things in horrible places. He'd seen and done so many horrible things that at times, he would have to emotionally detach himself as he fought, killing without remorse. Some of the knights and soldiers who had fought beside him often said his was like a different person when he fought. Link knew it was true, but preferred not to speak of his state of mind when it came to killing someone. Like any soldier, Link had discovered that the death of others weighs heavy on the soul. Hence, he didn't like to fight. Usually, he fought his battles with no passion or enthusiasm, he fought with only the direct fact that he was doing what needed to be done. But this time, he could not mute his mental anguish as he looked upon the hills of dead women and children, sons and daughters, husbands and wives. So it was right then and there, sprinting down the lane towards the castle that Link decided that in all his battles to come, he would fight for these people. He would fight for those whom were silenced, but still had much to say, for those who met death by no means of their own. Link decided he would fight for the innocent. He would fight with passion. These were his thoughts as he made his way into the heart of the burning city, with no idea that things were about to get much worse.

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BOOM SHAKA LAKA!!! That was my biggest and baddest chapter yet! Tell me what you all think! So far, there are officially two people that actually read this stuff. I sure hope more will come! Please R&R, I've never devoted this much time to actually writing something good! And prepare yourselves for… Dun dun dun!! Chapter five: The Exodus


	5. Chapter 5: the Exodus

Yay! Chapy five is here! It took me some serious brainstorming to come up with the particulars of this chapter, so tell me what you all think! And now, for chapter 5!

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Chapter 5: Exodus

For the second time in the last three days, Link made his way up the path leading from the market place, to the castle. This time however, it wasn't a leisurely stroll. As he dashed up the lane, Link passed one grotesque scene after another. There were bodies piled here and there by the dozens, guards, nobles, knights, all of them killed by the invading horde of shadow warriors. To Link's surprise, as he drew nearer to the castle, he could hear the sounds of a battle that was still being waged within. It only made sense; the castle was the most well guarded structure in the country.

Link rushed through the wide open twin oak doors of the castle foyer, and beheld the atrocities that lay within. The walls of the castle were completely covered with blood. Mangled bodies lay in every which direction. Flames danced up and down the walls and upon the once colorful tapestries of the foyer. The rubble and charred mortar that littered the floor testified the use of explosives at one point or another. Bodies lay in every possible nook and cranny of the room. Within the foyer, there were no less than sixty people running about, most of which were either Garro warriors, or being killed by them. There were however, a handful of stragglers fighting against the fiends in the corner of the room, all of them were continuously inching their way towards the exit. However, they were also continually impeded by an onslaught of attacks from a particularly huge Garro that seemed to demand the attention of all in the room. _Could these be the only people left fighting!?!_ He wondered anxiously.

Link put his worry behind him and rushed into the fray. Before he could be of any real assistance, he would need a weapon. Link surveyed the hall, looking for a sword that he might pilfer from a fallen warrior; however most of the dead were civilians whom had no weapons at all. What's more, all of the fallen Garro had long since exploded. "Link," Link spun around upon hearing someone call his name. It was Impa, calling his name from among those warriors fighting the huge Garro elite. Regardless of the encompassing battle, Link was somewhat relieved to see a friendly face. However, his meager stroke of enthusiasm dissipated immediately when he noticed the blood running from a stab wound in her abdomen. Upon seeing Link, a Look of exigency came over Impa's hardened features.

Despite her wound, Impa nimbly dashed over to where Link stood. "Impa," Link stuttered forlornly as she approached, "you're injured." Impa completely disregarded his observation and began to speak with a clear sense of urgency in her voice. "Link, there is nothing you can do here, the castle is lost," she began to wobble shakily. "Now where is Zelda?"

"She's safe at the Lon Lon Ranch." Link replied putting an arm around her waist to stabilize her.

"Listen to me, she is _not _safe there," Impa began. "_All_ of Hyrule is engulfed in this conflict! These invaders are the Garro shadow warriors, a nomadic people of war. They, by choice, claim no nation as their own, they simply travel the globe, fighting for the highest bidder. These Garro pride themselves on being able to eradicate the population of an entire nation within a week. Genocide is their specialty, they will purge this country of its people, allowing for their financiers to occupy and seize the territory completely without incident!" Link's heart skipped a beat and a half. His people were about to be wiped clean off the face of the earth, and he was powerless to do anything about it. _Some hero! _He thought to himself.

Suddenly Link pushed Impa out of the way as a missile that had been thrown by the Garro elite whizzed by where she had just been standing. Impa was shaken, and Link finally realized the extent of Impa's wounds. Impa had seemingly inhuman reflexes and agility, so for her not to dodge that blade of her own accord conveyed to Link the seriousness of her injuries. He helped her to her feet, and then prepared himself to engage the behemoth, however, Impa's hand squeezed on his shoulder to illustrate the necessity of her message. So he instead listened intently as Impa continued.

"In ancient times, the Garro and Shieka were at odds; but about two hundred years ago, the Garro lost in a battle to the Shiekan warriors and seemed to dissipate. However, it would seem that they had merely lain low all this time, gaining strength and followers." Impa was coughing up blood now, but she continued to voice her message. "To be Garro is not an ethnicity, it is a pious devotion to a doctrine. It is a 'religion' of sorts. They believe that this pugnacious lifestyle brings them closer to God. And make no mistake Link, their numbers are preposterous! They kill with no mercy, no distinction, and leave no survivors!" Link had never seen such desperation on Impa's countenance before. Her eyes went wide as she ordered Link. "You must take Zelda and flee the country! You have to get out of here! This castle and this country have already fallen. The king has been killed; Zelda is the only living successor to the throne! You must keep her safe; you must take her and fly from this land!"

Link stood there stupidly in light of all he had learned in such a short time. The king was dead, Hyrule was doomed, and everyone who didn't get out now was as good as dead. Impa reached behind her back and removed a long, single edge katana from its sheath. It was a weapon characteristic of the Shiekan warriors, an assassins blade. She handed it to Link. "This is my family sword," Impa spoke solemnly. "My time is nigh, but I wish for my spirit to live on through this blade. Take it, when you acquire another sword, please give this one to Zelda, I've trained her in the ways of the Shieka since childhood, it would seem that training is about to pay off." She placed the hilt of the weapon into Link's hand. "Impa," Link whispered, but could find no words that could express his feelings of anguish. "Don't think, just turn and run!" Impa barked wildly. She then spun around, and staggered back to the aid of her comrades.

It took about ten seconds for the seriousness of Impa's words to impact Link; then it became abundantly clear to him what he had to do. He had to go get Zelda! They had to escape! As Link turned and ran for the door, to his left, another character was running beside him for the same exit. Link looked left and was surprised to see the young, sable skinned warrior from the infirmary. He was wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants and thick leather boots, as he ran he clutched the hilt of his double edge diamond sword in his grip.

Link was surprised that after about five minutes of flat out sprinting, the foreign warrior was keeping pace with him. They cleared the gates and dashed through the market side by side, making for the drawbridge and the field there after. Link and the young warrior seemed to have some unspoken competition going as they dashed through town, vying for escape. Just as they approached the drawbridge that lead to the vastness of Hyrule field, and the possibility of escape it represented, a gaggle of about five Garro swordsmen rushed up to block the exit. There was absolutely no way Link was going to let these bastards get between himself and his great escape! Before the first of the five Garro could even brandish his weapon, Link's boot collided with his face by way of a flying leap kick. The Garro toppled backwards and fell flat on his back. As two of the fallen Garro's cohorts attempted to retaliate with a tag team attack from both sides, Link struck the one on his left in the face, the heel of his palm breaking the Garro's jaw. Link then brandished Impa's family heirloom and held it behind his back as he elbowed the other in the face. As both of the Garro rose from the dust to mount a second attack, Link arched his blade in a horizontal half moon strike, niftily separating both of his foes heads from their bodies. When Link turned around to dispatch his other two foes, he found them both dangling lifelessly in the air, skewered on the end of the foreign warrior's sword, suspended one in front of the other by way of his abnormal strength. The stranger then flung the two bodies off to the side, disposing of them with a swift whipping motion of his sword. Link met the gaze of the man before him. "My name is Link," he said favorably. " I don't know who you are, but it seems you saved my girlfriend's life a few days ago, and I am thankful for that."

The stranger frowned at Link. "My name is Junto, final judge of the kingdom of Ritz." He spoke with a remorseful tone. "I actually came here to warn your king of the coming of these shadow warriors, but alas, I am much too late. I regret to have to tell you that now that this has been set in motion, the annihilation of this kingdom is inevitable."

Link replied solemnly, "So I've been told." Junto eyed Link supportively. "Then you are aware that the only hope you and your family have for survival is to flee the country. You said that I rescued your girlfriend, which means you're close to the princess, no?" Junto commented sadly, noting that Link's girlfriend had probably just been killed in the castle.

Link nodded as he spoke. "Yes, but I have no family, only her. So I must entreat you, goodbye. I have to go get her and fly from this kingdom." Link began to step out into the vast plains of Hyrule field. Junto was fully prepared to part ways with his new friend, but there was something in his mind that told him that in what was to come, he should not be alone. This Link fellow seemed to have been dealt the very same hand that he had.

"Do you have a means of escape?" Junto asked, genuinely interested in Link's well being.

I figure we'll cut through the Guerrudo valley and cross into the neighboring nation of Boxa." Link replied pensively.

"That's a long hike, especially through the desert! I don't imagine your princess is accustomed to long excursions through hazardous terrain." Junto commented incredulously.

Link raised an eyebrow. "What is it to you Junto?" He asked speaking the name for the first time.

Junto sighed. "I don't know. I just want to help you. Perhaps it is because I see you and me as being very alike. In my country, I was a war hero. I defeated an evil general named Gojin whom conquered my people by utilizing a rift between alternate dimensions. To defeat him, I had to skip between dimensions. My people hailed me a hero, and I was made the 'Judge of Magnitude', which is essentially like being a high ranking knight to your people.

"And I've read about you Mr. 'Hero of Time'. I know of your time traveling adventures." Link visibly flinched. "I'd seen lore of your adventures even as far as my country, and read up about you. I was fascinated by how similar our stories were. Anyways, with my country gone, and yours following close behind, I figured it was time someone did something about this unseen menace that pulls the strings of this war machine. But I doubt that I could accomplish this on my own. My initial intention was to alert your king and use this country's strong army and resources as a hub, from which to fight, however that is not how things have turned out. So I figured, maybe this country's greatest hero will stand with me against this onslaught of chaos." Junto had a hopeful look on his face. "Anyway Link, I have a ship. I can help you to escape this country the same way that I arrived. On the other side of Death Mountain there is a small port town known as Sun City. I have my ship docked there. If we make haste, we can escape that way before the Garro arrive to burn all the ships."

When Juno had begun speaking, Link was far too anxious to get to Zelda to pay very close attention. But by the time Junto finished speaking, Link was listening very intently. With all that Link was absorbing lately, he was surprised his head hadn't exploded yet! His meeting Junto was a fortuitous event after all. Link had himself been skeptical about his ability to safely get Zelda out of the country. He decided Junto had plotted the best course of action.

"Okay Junto," Link said shaking his new ally's hand. "Let's get Zelda and get the hell out of here!" Link had spoken his words not a moment too soon, because as he spoke, The Garro forces began to spread through the field and systematically cut off all means of escape from the country.

And that, boys and girls is chapter five! The next one is in the oven right now!


	6. Chapter 6: The Pain

Hey! Sorry this update came after so long, I just haven't had much time to write it lately. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one; it touches on some of the unexplained events that have led up to this point, as well as giving the very first glimpse of the antagonist. Please R&R!! . 

Chapter 6: The Pain

_A gentle breeze danced elegantly across the expansive meadow, causing the pure white poppies to sway with the wind like a rolling sea of flora, glistening in the pure sunlight. Red breasted birds provided the music for this playful jig as they flew in the baby blue sky, soaring and rising on the very currents of air they seemed to inspire with their melody._

_Link lay flat on his back amidst this scene of pure serenity. His stomach rolled and lurched painfully until once again, he vomited bright red blood onto himself, further soiling his face and once-green tunic that was already caked with dry blood. He rolled his head to the side; it was the only thing he had the strength left to do to keep from drowning in his own blood. Again his body lurched until he hemorrhaged more blood, this time it spattered into the dirt making thick bloody mud of the earth in front of his face. The poison sure seemed to be doing its job. Link was dying in the most painful way he could imagine, just as Gojin had promised. Link felt the blood in his limbs coagulating in their veins, and his heart pumping blood right into his body cavity. This was it; this was where he was going to die. It's over, he thought. He'd been bested. A single tear rolled from the corner of his eye, down his cheek, off his chin, and into the bloody mud on the ground. As Link exhaled, no air escaped from his lips. Instead a crimson torrent of blood ran from his throat and onto the earth. His lungs were full now. Link simply closed his eyes as he waited in that field for a painful, lonely death._

When Zelda opened her eyes, she was still sitting near the entrance to the Lon Lon Ranch. The gentle breeze and mild weather seemed eerily analogous to that in the dream she'd been having, and a chill ran up her spine. Zelda was decked out in her old Shiekan fighting outfit from back during her seven year exile. She still had no idea what was going on, but she knew that there was a lot of fighting, fighting and dying. In addition, she had seen an entire battalion of strange, hooded soldiers crossing the plains of Hyrule, from the desert to the forest. Dangerously close to the ranch. Talon had tried to get her to wait inside, but she had refused. Zelda now sat against the stone wall, garbed in her multi toned, blue Shiekan combat uniform waiting for Link to return.

Zelda had made the decision of her life during the few hours since Link had left. She decided that she would never back down from a fight, even if she was told to by someone she loved, and that she would be by Link's side all of her days. She was her own woman; this was her battle as well. It was the blood of her countrymen that was being spilled into the dirt. She had a duty, as princess to serve her people to the best of her ability. Zelda felt she was still much too young and inexperienced to assume the role of a ruler, but she _was_ handy with the blade, and skilled in magic. She would serve her people in the best way she knew, and she would do it with Link. She was done being a liability. She'd pull her weight.

What's more, she would keep Link safe, even if it cost her life. Recently, she'd been plagued by nightmares; each one depicting Link, dying in some horrible manner, always scared and alone. They disturbed her to no end, but she opted not to tell Link of them. Instead of complain or worry, she would fight. Impa had trained her since childhood in the shadow-like combat arts of the Shieka. So she was more than confident that she could hold her own in combat. She had decided that she would not only stay by Link's side, she would fight along side him wherever he went. And she would protect him, as he had always protected her. She would never let these horrible things that happened in her nightmares come to pass upon Link, never. Zelda had found someone to fight for during the time she sat there waiting. She would fight for her people and for the sake of the one she loved, Link. Zelda felt that, as the princess, she was responsible for her people. Link, however had no such obligations, yet he always selflessly placed himself in harm's way for the innocent. She marveled at his selfless nature. He was the greatest man she knew, and she would be by his side, always.

As Zelda was ruminating over these things, two far off figures caught her attention as they closed the distance between the town and the ranch. She stood to get a better look, hopping on top of the low land wall and peering out over the grasslands of Hyrule field. It was Link, and that strange fellow who had saved her from those Garro a few days ago. The two of them were sprinting through the field about a mile from the ranch, and closing.

When Link and Junto finally reached the ranch, Zelda was standing atop the low land wall carved into the hillside that the ranch was built on. Link noticed that she was wearing her old Shiekan fighting uniform from all those years ago. With the exception of the face mask and some feminine additions, she appeared much as she did when she was under the alias of "Sheik". She was garbed from the neck down in a skin tight blue leather jumpsuit. Her fingers were wrapped in the strange cloth that she used to utilize as a whip, and her shock of blonde hair was striking against the deep blue of her outfit. She was as he remembered her, except this time, her chest wasn't strapped up to conceal her full breasts, and her face and hair were displayed freely. It was to Link's understanding that she could use her magic to dawn this costume at will, a nifty little trick.

Link ran to her and lifted her off the wall, embracing her tightly. He only wished time permitted him to hold her longer, but he knew that they were walking on the razor edge of the situation. "Zelda," he spoke softly in her ear as he held her. "We have to leave this place, the whole country." Zelda already knew this, somehow. She felt it in the depth of her heart. It was as if all of the voices of the land she'd been hearing had been silenced at once. She held Link tightly. She wanted to be held by him like this and never let go. She wanted the world to be a fair place where things like this weren't always happening. She wanted a lot of things right then. She wanted to ask about her father, about Impa, but she already knew the answers she would receive.

So instead she simply said, "Alright." She knew of the danger that approached, not what it was, but what it was capable of. She let go of Link, and slowly turned to Junto and held out her hand. "My name is Zelda; I never got the chance to thank you earlier. So I want to thank you now for what you did for me."

Junto smiled as he took her hand and shook it, his bright teeth seemed brighter in contrast with his ebony skin. "It was nothing that I wouldn't do again; I live my life with no regrets. I'm Junto, pleased to meet you. I hate to say it, but this situation is no less dire than it was the last time I met you! We must leave this place at once. I'm afraid there is very little time for proper introductions."

"Where will we go?" Zelda directed her question at Link.

"Junto is willing to help us; he has a ship that we can use to flee the country. So we're going to the docks in Sun City." Link replied solemnly. The notion that he was abandoning his homeland had just hit him as he spoke, so he verbalized woefully. His forest green tunic shifted and flapped in the gentle breeze, unnerving Zelda as she recollected a similar scene from her latest nightmare. Link continued obliviously," Junto, could you fit two more people aboard your ship?"

Junto gave a little laugh. "My ship, the Elusive Destiny, Is very unique, it can host a crew as many as eighty, or as few as one," Junto proclaimed proudly. "Make no mistake; our pursuers will not hesitate to take this fight to the seas. Before we can escape in earnest, we'll have to break free of the stranglehold they've got on us. The more hands we have aboard, the more formidable we'll be on the water."

"Good," Link said motioning towards the two approaching figures from the ranch.

Talon and Malon rode out of the ranch gates on two strong stallions loaded down with the luggage they had packed. Talon wore a large duffle bag on his back, and his horse was carrying a huge payload of bags and sacks of all kinds. Malon rode beside him hefting a large burlap sack over one shoulder, and a few satchels over the other.

Malon was a petite young woman of the age eighteen. Her brilliant red hair, blue eyes, and supple curves had a tendency to enchant the men in her life, but the only one she wanted was the one she couldn't have, Link. She had long since felt strongly for Link, however she never found out how to break down the barriers of his heart, Zelda did. She resented Zelda for that.

She wore a simple yet expressive dress of blue and white, and a pair of brown farm boots, quite the antithesis. She had never been afraid of hard work, and was very strong for her size. She was actually quite known in the farmhand scene for both being able to outwork her male counterparts in the field, and for having an absolutely beautiful singing voice. Currently, she gazed longingly at Link as she and her father rode over to the trio in a hurry, fully prepared to flee the land they loved.

"Link we're takin' off, we can't stay here any longer," Talon exclaimed loudly.

"We have a ship Talon, come with us to Sun City," Link stressed, not wanting to leave his friend of so many years.

"Naw," Talon spoke sadly. "I figured we'd escape to Boxa through the desert. I figure the bastards haven't gotten there yet."

"Hate to say it Talon, but unless you've navigated those parts before, it is truly treacherous territory," Link responded. "It's a relatively short trip to Sun City, and on horseback that time is cut in half." Talon looked out at Death Mountain pensively. All he wanted was a safe place for his family. Why was it so damn hard to just live a life of peace in this world?

"Daddy," Malon's voice cut into his thoughts. "Maybe we should go with them, besides Link wouldn't let anything happen to us!" Link winced at the comment knowing that he would probably hear about it from Zelda later. Malon and Zelda had never really been friends; they only tolerated each other because they were both among the few friends that Link had left.

"Okay, I'll get you kids some horses. We've only got two left, so the little lady will have to ride with you Link." Talon said, referring to Zelda. He'd already surmised that the horse he had lent to Link earlier was already dead. He sighed deeply, "I sure wish times weren't so damned hard!" He rasped under his breath as he dismounted and hurried back to the ranch.

A few moments later Talon returned from his incursion with the reigns of two more stallions in his hands, and a long trench coat thrown over his shoulder. He presented a chestnut stallion with a long white mane to Link and Zelda, and the other horse, a pure white colt, to Junto. In addition, he tossed the trench coat to Junto as well. "Here ya go son," Talon told him with a grin. "There's no point in you makin' this trip all bare chested like that! Besides, your making me look bad with all them muscles kid!" He added, trying to lighten this otherwise humorless day.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Junto replied as he dawned the coat. It was a bit heavy for his style, and he wished he had a shirt to wear under it, but beggars really couldn't be choosers. "Okay folks listen up, we head for Sun City," Junto began as he nimbly mounted his horse. "We must move as fast as possible in order to arrive before our pursuers. If they are as smart as I give them credit for, they have sent teams to all of the ports in the kingdom to burn the ships and destroy the docks. We have to beat them there!

"Right on Captain," Link replied with a renewed zeal. "Let's get this caravan moving, I'll ride point," Link proclaimed as he once more brandished Impa's family sword and mounted the muscular horse. He then looked down at Zelda and held out his hand. She grabbed it and pulled herself up behind him holding on tight, which earned her a glare from Malon. "Let's ride," Link hollered.

Greased lightning: Those were the two words that best to described the group of five's flight from the ranch. They rode as fast as the powerful horses could take them. Ordinarily, Talon would have been concerned for the animals' safety, but in this instance, even if they died from exhaustion their escape would have been worth the loss. His family meant more to him than any animals, but he still pined for them. He only hoped they would survive the trip at this intensity.

Link was all business as he rode ahead of the pack through the plains of the countryside, towards the Kakariko Village. As he rode past, he took a final glimpse of the burning castle town before changing direction to cross the river via the small bridge that hung over it. His resolve was steadfast. He had to do what he could to save the few people left in his life that mattered the most. As Zelda held onto him from behind, she remained a constant reminder of what was at stake; everything he knew and loved. No matter how hard Link tried, the people he loved always suffered. He thought of all the people whom he had let down. The people whose deaths he couldn't prevent. He always felt guilty for those he couldn't save. He would see their faces in his sleep, haunting him. Perhaps his selflessness was actually an act of _selfishness_. Did he try to save people only because if he didn't, their death would bear that much more weight on his soul? Link's homeland had already been defiled and violated, but perhaps if he could save this handful of people, maybe he could appease his guilty conscience.

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Link thoughts gravitated to Saria, his childhood friend. About nine years ago, when he had first returned from his time traveling adventures, he told all of the little details to her. She was his best friend who had actually raised him since childhood. They had lived together in the Kokiri forest among the rest of the Kokiri, the immortal children of the forest who never aged. Saria was a truly selfless person, if Link had half as much altruism as he was constantly being told he did, he'd gotten it all from her. She was such a self sacrificing person. She would look out for Link before even herself. She was the embodiment of everything he'd loved.

Memories of the day when the pain started still circulated on his daily train of thought, injecting a little dose of sadness into his day as he woke up each morning. She had been making dinner for the two of them. She always did make the _best_ mushroom stew. Link had been sitting at the table in her forest home that was made from the hollowed out remains of a giant tree stump. She was chatting it up with Link and stirring the pot of stew when she suddenly passed out. Link ran to her side to find her in a feverous delirium. The days to follow consisted mainly of Link, sitting miserably by her bedside as her health enfeebled. He would try to feed her, but she would only spit up the food he gave to her. She sweated profusely until she became dehydrated. She couldn't hold down the water he gave her. Link had sought help from many doctors; he'd even gone so far as to commit taboo by bringing the doctors, whom were outsiders, into the village. But they could do nothing for Saria. They gave him useless and generic advice such as "make sure she gets plenty of fluids," but Link knew there was nothing they could do for her. Her once jovial features had withered to the form of a sickly, defeated girl. Then at last, after three weeks of fighting, she died. The last thing she had said just moments before her death was," Link, I hope you liked the soup." Yes, Link thought, that was when the pain began. There was a dull pain in his heart and in the back of his mind that never when away. He could sometimes hide it, or even suppress it, but it was always there; forcing his smiles to fade and his mood to degenerate.

She died, and Link could do nothing to prevent it. Everyone Link became close to died. It was a simple truth. After the death of Saria, Link became a drifter, a vagrant. He would often find himself wandering Hyrule with no real destination. Eventually, he aimed to seek the one friend whom had stayed by his side faithfully until the banishing of the King of Evil; his fairy friend, Navi. His search took him to the distant corners of the kingdom and beyond, to separate lands altogether, and into much danger, but he found no trace of his beloved companion. So he continued to wander, broken and alone. For years he drifted, finding no absolution from his anguish.

For a time, Link stayed at the Lon lon Ranch. He could find no employment, as he was technically a provincial alien from the forest region. So he took up a few odd jobs at the ranch. It was during this time that Malon really helped to keep him going with her tenderness. She was the only person who treated Link like a person and not a mangy stray dog. She tried exasperatingly to mend the deep wounds in Link's heart, but he was much too guarded and detached to open up to her. He wouldn't let her or anyone else in, no matter how hard she tried. After about a month, Link once again wandered off. He couldn't allow himself to get too attached to anyone.

For the next couple years, Link had really dropped off the radar. Malon had actually gone on a short adventure of her own to find her childhood friend and love interest, but his wanderings took him much further than she could reasonably travel. Even as far as the desert to the far south. And that is exactly where Nabooru, the leader of the desert women, the Guerudos, found him. He was emaciated, and delirious lying on the floor in the Spirit Temple.

Nabooru was a hardened desert warrior of twenty-seven. She was tall, with sun bronzed skin and striking golden eyes. Her hair was a fiery red, and _she_ was a fiery woman. She was shocked to have found Link in such poor condition. It disturbed her that Link, after suffering so much for the sake of the world, couldn't even find some happiness in his life. She brought him back with her to the desert fortress where the Guerudo resided, and had him nursed back to health. It was during this time that Link had begun to act more like his old self, and for the times he was with her, his pain compromised. She would visit him as he recovered and they would chat of things they had missed out on in each others lives. It saddened Nabooru that Link could find no purpose in his life.

All of the sages, the guardians of Hyrule, had left that whole time traveling ordeal with a newfound sense of purpose. They all lived their lives on two fronts. They would live their normal life, and live their life watching over Hyrule as sages. They received newfound powers and insight.

Link, on the other hand, received nothing but a troubled mind full of the violence and horror he'd seen at such a young age. As that chapter came to an end, the sages and the Hero of Time went their separate ways in the face of the realities of life. The sages saw each other during the occasional coterie conventions, but they had all assumed that Link was off on some grand adventure living it up. Nabooru had no idea that he had ended up this way He was sent back to his own time confused and alone with nothing but grief. He wasn't a Kokiri, and after he had continued to age, they learned of his charlatanism in the ways of the Kokiri and shunned him. He didn't even receive recognition for his deeds as the Hero of Time seeing as nobody even knew of his battles in the future. It was as if his struggles had never happened. He was robbed of the Master Sword, his childhood, his innocence, and his happiness.

Nabooru pitied Link for his misfortune, and respected him for his silent suffering. There was always sadness in his eyes, even when he smiled she could see the pain he tried to hide from her. Link and Nabooru became closer and closer, and Link was more than enchanted by this woman who had the power to offer his sorrowful heart reprieve. He loved her.

The day after Link had come to this realization, he was traveling with Nabooru to the Kakariko Village to obtain some items that were hard to come by in the desert. The two rode a single horse and chatted furtively as they went along the dirt path into town. Link would listen to her speak of any little thing and was captivated by the way she spoke. She could ease his pain with her touch, and with her words she could help him hark back to what contentment felt like. Was this happiness? Link wondered this as the black desert mare trotted along. It had been such a long time since he'd felt anything but the pain that he didn't know what he was feeling. Then, as if to remind him that he wasn't allowed to feel the likes of happiness, the horse reared at the sight of a snake on the ground. Link fell off the horse and smashed his head on a jagged rock below. _And everything had been going so well._ Blood ran from his skull and into the green grass, dripping off of the replete blades into the soil. He couldn't feel his body. He could just lay there, unmoving, not even able to hear. His head throbbed and pulsed as if this was to be his punishment for thinking of being happy once more. "Oh my God, Link," Nabooru yelped as she leapt from the horse onto the road. Nabooru rushed to his side and began an attempt to treat his injuries. Before she had the chance to utter even a syllable to comfort Link, an arrow lanced through her heart. Link was only able to lay there as the body of the woman he loved slumped onto him. And just like that, she was dead.

The man who had shot her finally stepped into view after several minutes of dead silence. He was a dark silhouette in Links cloudy vision. The man knelt down, relieved both Link and Nabooru of their belongings, he then picked up the snake and put in a sack, hopped on the horse, and rode away, leaving Link for dead. He was just a petty thief. He'd killed Link's love for a few meager rupees and a horse.

Link couldn't remember weather he had lay there for hours, or days, but it felt like an eternity, drifting in and out of consciousness. He would often awaken to the lifeless eyes of his beloved Nabooru staring at him. _Why was his life so tragic?_ He was later told that he was found by the postmaster and taken to a nearby village for treatment, but it must have been when he was unconscious because he had no recollection.

Several months later, when Link recovered, he was thrown out of the infirmary and back onto the street. So once again, he wandered, now contemplating suicide as a possible means to end his sorrow. He secluded himself from people in order to shelter his heart from the pain of losing them. He longed for the pain he had once felt, because now, he was tortured by a new pain. This new pain was a sharp pain in his heart and his mind that hurt a hundred times more than the old one. He was constantly harassed by horrible recollections of the deaths of the people whom he had failed to save. He wandered the land, penniless and searching; searching for respite for his soul. He would wander the countryside in the tattered and undersized remains of his Kokiri tunic and eat of the filthy impure meat of the monsters of the land.

Link would every so often visit Nabooru's grave. The only certified graveyard in the castle town province was the one behind the rapidly growing Kakariko village. He would sit on the gravestone across from Nabooru's for hours just staring at the night sky. He would weep sometimes, wishing he could be as free and unfeeling as the Poe ghosts that roamed the graveyard. And it was there, as he sat on a gravestone and stared into the face of the night that he bumped into Impa, sage of shadow and attendant to Zelda.

As one of the seven sages, Impa was one of the very few people remaining whom knew of Link's trials and tribulations. She'd learned of Link's shattered demeanor and broken constitution in a passing conversation with Nabooru many months ago. When she mentioned it to Zelda, it had troubled her as well. Zelda had long since wanted to reestablish ties with her cherished friend and hero, but Impa had never allowed the princess to take the trip required to see him. Impa had meant to visit him herself, but she was a very busy woman. Besides, at the time, he was still living in the desert, and she figured Nabooru would watch over him. However it wasn't until a week before that day that she even learned of Nabooru's death. So here, as she had come to visit the grave of her fellow sage, she bumped into Link. She could clearly see how harsh life had been for him at such a young age. It disturbed her to no end to see such a noble young man so broken. He'd seen and done more in his meager years than many would experience in a lifetime. He was wise beyond his years, and it was killing him.

Impa sat down beside him on his macabre perch and looked at him. He said nothing as he saw her with his peripheral vision. He only continued to gaze at Nabooru's grave, addressing Impa with nothing more than an uninterested nod. They sat like this in the warm summer night for a long time. Impa was content to endure his sideways stare as she waited for him to speak his mind. He spoke, "I should have died such a long time ago." There was a chilling remorseful tone in his voice that made him seem like a man with many more years that he really had. He continued," Death follows me like a poisonous snake, striking all whom come too close. I believe it wants to take me too. Maybe the triforce is what has kept me alive for so long." As Link spoke, he held his face in the palms of his hands to hide his countenance. He paused for a moment, trying not to be overcome with emotion. Once again, he continued, speaking through his fingers" Do you believe in redemption Impa?" Impa had heard enough, she wrapped her arms tightly around him, catching him off guard. She held him like that for a moment before gingerly letting go. "I'm not dead Link," she jested. "You need to stop being such a fatalist Link, you have more confidants than you know," She added with a smile and a mothering tone that struck a chord in Link.

Impa offered him a commission into the king's Knight Corps. She had the King's ear and could easily pull some strings for such a cherished old friend. Link was reluctant, but Impa would have nothing of it. The benefits of the position weren't even worthy of the deeds Link had done to deserve them, but they were better than living life as a drifter.

Over the next few years, Link's life had begun to look more and more positive. He smiled more, laughed more, and he slowly came out of the shell he'd built around his heart. He made friends in the castle, and even came to know the princess rather well. Zelda had felt for Link, but at the time, he was so guarded and detached, that she couldn't get close. In addition, she felt that if she said anything to him, she'd be taking advantage of his fragile state of mind. It was true, Link was recovering, but he really was a broken man. A life of experience had taught Link to keep those closest to him the furthest from him.

It wasn't until a few years later, right before Link left on a Long range recon of the kingdom that Zelda came out and told Link everything she was feeling. Link wasn't surprised, just uncertain. He wanted to love Zelda, but could he? Link pondered these things the entire six months of his deployment, and upon his return, he decided he would, once more, give love a chance. Zelda had taught him that it was okay to love, that he didn't always have to have such rough edges. She had brought out the best in him. She re-taught Link that it was alright to get close to someone, and he loved her for it.

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So now, Link thought of these things as he rode full force for the Kakariko village and Death Mountain beyond. He thought of all he had to lose, and of how unlikely it was that he would survive another one of life's harsh lessons in the game of love. Zelda held on to Link from behind, and he knew that he must protect this girl at all cost. He would give his life gladly for her, because he loved her, and because the pain of death couldn't compare with the pain he would feel if he lost her. Even now, he could feel the sharp throbbing pain that was always there, in the back of his mind and heart. Always reminding him that everyone he knew and loved was going to die; the pain of experience, the pain of loss. Link had lived with this pain for so long, he couldn't remember a time when it wasn't there, like a deku stick being driven into his ribcage unrelentingly. He could not let anything happen to Zelda, _nothing_. So he rode hard, he rode fast, and he rode with a powerful sense of purpose. With the other three riders behind him, and Zelda at his back, he swore then that he would not let anything happen to this girl. He really couldn't see why she loved him. He was but a husk of what remained after a lifetime of strife and pain, but he loved her for having the patience it must have took to love him back. Everything that was left of him belonged to her. _And so he rode._

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_Delivering death was a sensual experience._ Atop the summit of Death Mountain, a frighteningly powerful and unquestionably evil wind circled the red haired man in the black coat. The wind swirled violently around him, causing the usually docile cloud of volcanic smoke to oscillate viciously around the peak. Masses of birds that had, only moments before his arrival, sung songs of glory, now lay on the mountainside, killed either by the lively plumes of superheated poisonous smoke, or having smashed their skulls against the cliff side after losing control of their flight in the face of the squall. The dead carcasses littered the mountainside in the thousands, painting the slope a disturbing hue of raven.

The man stood six feet tall. His face was that of a young man, but his appearance was a deceptive one indeed. His fiery red hair came down to the middle of his neck in a style that was once kempt, but was currently windblown. His appearance was that of a man in his mid-twenties, when in fact, he'd lived for many hundreds of years. Unlike the rest of the Garro whom hid their faces, this man did not. The only telltale that he was a Garro was the symbol on his greatcoat.

The man's teal eyes gazed upon the beautiful sight of the burning landscape. Even at this altitude, his sharp eyesight permitted him to enjoy his favorite hue of crimson that glazed the kakariko village; the tone that conveyed to him the death of mass amounts of people, the tint of fresh human blood. However, he didn't need his eyes to enjoy it. He _tasted_ the death. He could _smell_ the rich screams of horror and shouts of demise. He could _hear_ the sticky texture of the blood that ran from these people's bodies. He could _feel _the redness of the blood. _Delivering death was a sensual experience_. He smiled at what he had done, and what more there was to do.

A lone Garro messenger huffed as he scaled the edge of the cliff where the man stood, trying his best not to be blown away by the winds. "General Gojin," the messenger rasped, as was characteristic of the Garro when they attempt to speak with spoken words, as opposed to telepathy. "The capital city is ours. All the natives have been purged, shall we move on to the docks?" The messenger's voice was more raspy than usual; not because he was not accustomed to speaking, but because he suffered from a dry throat. The general was known to kill those foolish enough to interrupt his musings as the messenger just had.

The messenger didn't _want_ to come with an inquiry for the general, but the captains had grown impatient and sent him to ask. The Garro frowned invisibly from under his cowl at his troubling new familiarity with his own disposability. General Gojin's intense eyes leveled on him, and the messenger felt a cold bead of sweat run down the side of his face from his left temple. The winds ceased abruptly.

"Tell the men to move on to the docks before these maggots escape to the seas," General Gojin spoke with a voice that was calm, cold, and utterly humorless.

"Y-yes sir," the messenger stammered as he spun on his heel to make his hasty retreat. He didn't know what was worse, being stared at by the general, or being spoken to by him! The messenger turned away from the general and stepped to the Cliffside to make a hasty decent.

"Wait," General Gojin's icy voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "I'll tell them myself." The messenger turned to investigate his master's change of heart and was greeted with the general's powerful fist slamming into his chest.

"General no!!" the messenger screamed as he sailed over the face of the cliff. "Die," Gojin gave this final order to his loyal messenger as he snapped his fingers, causing the unsuspecting messenger to explode in midair. Chunks of his body rained down the mountainside, joining the dead birds as debris on the slope. Gojin smiled. _Delivering death was a sensual experience._

The Kakariko village was a large, rapidly growing town at the foot of Death Mountain. It was originally founded as a Shiekan town-fortress that would guard the entrance to the shadow temple and the secrets beyond. Surrounded on all sides by sheer cliff faces that make up the buttes around the mountain, the town was a perfect hideout for refugees in times of crisis. The rapid expansion of the town was in fact a direct result of the continuous civil unrest that made the citizens want to live in a safer place than the capital. The entrance into the town was via a lone stairwell carved out of the stone. As the traveling party reached this threshold, they were greeted by a band of about eight Garro warriors standing guard at the base of the stairwell. As Link approached, he drew his sword and made ready for another skirmish.

Bam! That was really long wasn't it? It was long for me! Heh! That chapter was to draw back on some of the things that happened to the characters that haven't been mentioned yet. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! The next chapter will be coming much sooner than that one! R&R!! . 


	7. Chapter 7 The escape

Hello all! I'm pleased to see that people are still reading these! Heh, this chapy is really going to shed some light on the characters interactions. Anyways, let's jump right in. Sorry it took so long, it was just hard to come up with ideas.

Link homed in on his target. He rode dead ahead of the pack, charging straight at the band of Garro guards that impeded his path to escape. He was going to attack the one furthest to the left first. Junto was mounting a parallel attack to Link's right. He rode side by side with Link, sword brandished, prepared to unleash a heinous retribution upon these naives. Talon and Malon stayed as far back as possible, they weren't fighters and they warmed up the rear accordingly.

Link and his party were about to engage a gaggle of guards that blocked the craggy entrance to the Kakariko Village, and the salvation that lay beyond. The powerful mares bolted across the bridge that hung over the Zora River. Link assessed his foes. There were eight of them; standing in two rows of four, barring entrance to the village. However, numbers didn't intimidate Link. He was unconcerned with these guards and their exotic weapons. They each brandished a spear of sorts, each with an incongruous handle that made them look ridiculous. Link scoffed at the pitiful guards and their pathetic looking weapons, even at this distance he could see that the shafts of the spears were hollow, with two holes at the end where the blade sat out to the side, throwing off the balance of the whole weapon. All of the guards aimed there oblong spears at Link's approaching party, no doubt prepared to pike them off of their horses. The forward most row of guards harmoniously knelt down to one knee, still leveling their spears at Link and his entourage. "Out of my way you bastards!" Link roared as he closed in on his prey.

Then something happened that Link didn't expect. As Link rode into battle with his sword drawn, Zelda behind him, and Junto at his side, a series of deafening cracks and flashes of light issued forth from the kneeling rank of guards. Plumes of black smoke hovered over their spears, and before Link could piece together what was happening, it was much too late

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, but still so fast that all was a blur. The members of Link's party began to drop to the ground one by one, like leaves from an autumn sapling. The horse that Link and Zelda had ridden into battle was the first to take a bullet, right in the head. Its body lifelessly clumped to the ground, sending its two riders careening into the abyss of blurry green grass and brown dirt. Zelda yelped as she violently rolled off of the mare and into the river. Link sailed from the lifeless steed, landing face first in the dirt, sending jolts of excruciating pain down his neck and spine. Link wheezed as he sat up in pain, searching frantically for Zelda.

There was another distant CRACK, followed by a proximal SNAP. "Gahh!!" Link screamed out as something hit him hard. A pink mist of blood sprayed from his right shoulder. It felt as though some unseen villain had just driven a stake into his chest, just below the collar bone. Thick red blood ran down his arm and into the grass. 'What the hell!' Link's thoughts couldn't keep up with the action. Another earsplitting series of cracks rang out. Now Junto was also shot. SNAP, Right in the abdomen. He cried out in agony before careening from his horse, landing in a painfully awkward position and clutching his wound. Another cacophony of cracks and pops rang out. Down went Junto's horse, like a sack of potatoes. Now Link was beginning to understand.

Link had once encountered weapons like this before; they were very rare and very dangerous. His old friend and comrade Duncan had first introduced him to this weapon in the museum he owned and operated. It was called a musket. Duncan had been very animated as he explained to Link the power of such a weapon, and the great fortune he'd had in getting a hold of one. He had even gone so far as to conjecture that one day, weapons like these may replace the sword. The device utilized a piece of flint and a tiny pan of explosive powder to blast a small lead ball through the body of one's foes. Link remembered thinking of the impracticality of the device. It was so loud, and required a large supply of the elusive powder to operate regularly; hardly pragmatic. Furthermore, it took extremely long periods of time to reload. The inane device had, at the time seemed like another useless innovation doomed to an inevitable oblivion. He had, to Duncan's annoyance, proclaimed that if someone wanted to launch an attack from a distance, they should just use a bow and arrow.

It wasn't until this moment that Link truly respected the power of this bold new weapon. And he hated it so. These gunmen could effortlessly end someone's life with but the pull of a trigger. It almost seemed supernatural, as though they simply pointed, and you dropped dead.

_Crack! _The guards were unloading again. The deadly lead balls slammed into the ground around Link making loud thudding noises and causing the earth to plume into the air. There was little time to react. Link dove behind the corpse of the horse he'd rode in on, rolling into position and laying flat on the ground to avoid the incoming fire. He couldn't help but cringe as he heard the snapping sounds of the lead bullets punching large messy holes into the dead horse. The sound was that of the flesh and muscle and tissue being instantly severed by the small blunt bullets. He looked down at his shoulder. Was he going to die like that, by being riddled full of holes by these clowns? At that moment, he wanted to crawl into his hat and waddle away. He'd never felt so helpless. 'It's a bold new age indeed'. Weapons like these, he thought, would usher in a new age of warfare, but he would never abandon the trusty sword for some new trinket.

The firing ceased. Did they stop to reload, or were they waiting for him to poke his head out so they could blow him away? He decided it was worth the risk to see if anyone had survived. These guys seemed to be pretty mediocre shots, despite a few lucky hits. Why else would they need to fire all at once? 'New weapons, old tactics' Link had known many career archers to do this as well, launching a barrage of arrows in order to maximize the kill zone. Link winced as he propped himself up on his good arm, trying his best to disregard the conflagration of pain in the other one. He nervously surveyed the scene as best he could from under his dead horse. The guards _were _reloading. They packed and stuffed more powder and bullets into the muzzles of their weapons. Link considered attacking, but was disinclined in consideration of the ground he'd have to cover. These guards were still about fifty feet away. Not to mention the second standing row of guards were not reloading, they were covering the others. So Link opted to take the opportunity to acquire a situation report. He looked around for his comrades.

Junto was sitting up, his large sword was embedded into the earth and he lay with his back against the flat of the blade. He had been using its wide surface area to shield himself from the hail of gunfire. Now that the shooting had ceased, even if only for a moment, he was nursing his wound. He clutched his gut painfully tight to stop the bleeding and wrapped a tattered piece of cloth around his midsection. He was however, simultaneously assessing the battlefield as well, no doubt looking for an edge. Link looked on.

In a situation like this, there was only a marginal degree of enthusiasm that could be had. But if there was any, Link experienced it when he glanced off to his right to see that Zelda had ridden the river downstream. Zelda pulled herself onto shore about two hundred yards downstream. She was as safe as possible considering the situation. She was outside of the effective range of the guard's muskets, but had begun to slowly advance in the wake of some strange magic shield. She took deliberate steps as she walked, holding her hands out in front of her to sustain the transparent pink bubble that surrounded her body.

Zelda's skills in magic never ceased to utterly astound Link. She could perform impossible feats, the likes he'd never seen before. More often than not, she kept her abilities a secret from others. But Link knew what she was capable of. He'd seen her do astonishing things with her power, even bring the king of evil to his knees. Link's own skills were pathetic by comparison. He had learned a few neat tricks, but he mostly used his magic to supplement his physical abilities. He couldn't dream of doing some of the outright preposterous things that he'd seen Zelda do. He grinned as much as he could. At least he knew she was safe, for now.

Malon and Talon crouched behind the low stone rail of the bridge, so Link didn't have to worry about them. Talon held his daughter low to the ground, either to shield her from the gunfire, or prevent her from seeing the violence unfold. Malon was a strong girl, but she was equally amorous. Talon had a tendency to shelter her from the harsh realities of life. He hadn't even told her about the death of her mother, he'd simply told her that she left them long ago. Link knew of the tenderness of Malon's heart, but didn't condone the keeping of secrets from her. He knew that when she finally found out, it would be a dark day indeed.

Now that Link had regained his situational awareness, he only needed to figure out how to advance on these bastards. With those God awful weapons, there was no way he could get close to them in his condition. They had to escape before their window of opportunity closed for good. He looked down at his shattered shoulder. 'Damn!' It was all shot to hell, and he had no idea how to treat such a wound. This was looking pretty bad. He couldn't die here, now. He had too many people depending on him. There were too many lives in his hands. '_Zelda'_

All of Links thoughts were interrupted when the fell warriors unloaded another onslaught of rounds downrange. He looked over to see they were firing at Junto. The lead bullets clacked and clanked against the immutable diamond blade of his sword. Junto tucked himself into a more compact position, he was pinned. From there all he could do was hold out. The scornful look plastered on his face delineated the frustration he felt about being so helpless.

While the others shot at Junto, one of the gunmen stepped over the horse and stood right beside Link, catching him completely off guard. Link didn't even hear him approach, much less step over his cover and level his weapon at him. 'Sneaky bastard', the razor sharp bayonet at the end of his musket mocked Link, threatening to at any moment snatch his life away from him.

Link sprang into action. The garo thrusted the blade at him, but he was much too slow. The adrenaline still ran thick in Link's blood, and he would not roll over and die for anything. There was still fight in him and he was going to use it! He clumsily rolled to the side, avoiding the unforgiving steel by mere inches. The blade ran through the body of the horse, lodging itself deep within its ribcage and refusing to let go, despite the garo's frantic jerks. Link saw his opportunity. He kicked the guard's legs out from under him. As the fiend fell, his weight yanked loose the bloody bayonet and he landed with a thud. Link was on his feet now. He had no weapon but his mitts and his wits. His foe sat up in an awkward position. Link prepared to deliver a death blow to the bastards face, but he was much too late. The gunman leveled his musket at Links face and pulled the trigger. _**BOOM!!**_

Link saw death for that instant. He saw the flash and heard the crack. He actually saw that round leave the chamber amidst a billowing plume of smoke, flame, and sulfur. Like a demon, bursting forth from the bowels of hell to claim his life. The bullet was death, and it missed its mark. The round whizzed by his face, missing by millimeters and taking a few strands of blonde hair with it as it passed. As Link lost his balance and toppled onto his back in shock, the garo rose and leveled his weapon at Link once more. They were _two_ barreled muskets! This meant they could be fired twice before being reloaded. 'Go figure' Link thought as stared down the barrel. _No one gets lucky twice._

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"Wait," a chilling voice rang out in the shadow of the day. The Garro refrained from pulling the trigger. Instead, he took three steps back and stood at attention. The guards at the gate also ceased fire and stood at attention. Link raised an eyebrow. He looked around for the man who apparently called the shots, but there was no one. He looked over to Junto, but he seemed to be equally bewildered.

The exact moment when the man in the black coat appeared was lost. It was as though he had arrived instantaneously, appearing from thin air. Link's eyes had merely glanced to his right to visually reconnoiter the guards, whom stood unmoving in the wake of the order. When Link's gaze shifted back to his left, not a split second later, there this man stood. Link flinched out of the immediateness of his arrival.

He was a young looking man, handsome too. His Striking red hair and teal eyes probably charmed the ladies. He was tall, maybe six feet with a medium build and a broad chest. His skin was pale, so much so that it contrasted powerfully with the black coat he wore over his tunic. And on that coat, stitched into the back was the symbol of the Garo. This man was apparently a Garo of authority. Link could feel an overwhelming evil emanating from him, the likes of which he'd never felt before. It was like standing too close to a bonfire. Waves of depravity radiated from this man, forcing Link to unconsciously withdraw a little

The man with the red hair glanced at Link; his stare was more piercing than his voice. But his visual assessment of Link was a cursory one, as he seemed to regard Link as innocuous. He then shifted his gaze to Junto, whom was now on his feet, despite his wound. 'If looks could kill' Junto's face contorted into a testament of pure hatred. The man grinned at him with a million rupee smile.  
"It's been a while Junto" The mystery man nonchalantly proclaimed, still smiling that charmer's smile. The man began to advance on him, walking so casually that his swagger and charming smile almost made him seem friendly. But Link knew better, and apparently, so did Junto. This man was poison, and his smile was death.

Junto's blood ran hot. Every muscle in his body tensed. He could feel the hot blood pulsing through his veins, delivering strength to his muscles with each throb of his beating heart. With the hand that wasn't clutching his tattered gut; he grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it from the ground violently, uprooting the grass in dirty clumps. Junto held the blade before him, pointing it at this man who's eyes shown death. He wanted so badly to kill this man on the spot, but he was no fool. Junto knew that this was a battle that couldn't be won here. The only option was escape. The hilt trembled in his hands as he held onto it; he restrained himself from leaping at this man. To attack him now might incite his rage rather than his twisted benevolence. If he wanted, he could have killed them all on the spot, but apparently, like the cat, he chose to toy with his prey. All the while the man continued to walk to him like a gentleman strolling in the park. He stopped about six feet out from Junto. Junto composed himself, or at least enough to speak.

"General Gojin, why won't you just die already?" Junto spoke with the most control he could muster, yet he still spat. 'Gojin,' the name registered in Link's train of thought, Junto had mentioned him before. This was the man that had commenced the destruction of Junto's entire country. And if that was the case, he was the man responsible for all that had happened today. Link could feel a rage building inside. Every hair on his neck stood on end. He was getting that feeling again; the feeling before a battle. '_The Rush'_

"Hey, what fun would that be? I finish what I start, and if that means that I have to make a personal appearance, then so be it." Again Gojin spoke; his voice was cringe worthy and disturbing. It was like listening to someone talk into a bottle while scraping a chalkboard with a rock, a horrible thing to listen to. He continued," All these years and you'd think that you would have stopped playing hero. Just look where it's gotten you! Everyone you know and love is dead!" He snickered. "And now you've got a big hole in your gut, looks painful!" He couldn't contain himself. He busted out laughing, holding his side and shaking his head.

"I'm going to kill you!" Link's voice barreled into their dialogue and silenced Gojin's laughter. Gojin looked to his left to see Link, on his feet, seething with fury. Gojin eyed him once more, annoyed. "It's rude to interrupt a conversation," he spoke in that harsh voice, despite the grin on his face. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

Link didn't answer the question, but he did respond. "All of this, _you_ did all of this! You killed _everyone_!" Link's face had changed color at least three times, from pink to beat red to what was now a shade of ruby.

"Link no!" Junto spoke up," This is not the time or the place, we cannot win here." His words meant nothing to Link. This was how Link operated. He fought on impulse. He was quite notorious for acting before he thought out the situation, and Link wouldn't have it any other way. He charged at General Gojin full force. "Link NO!!! You can't beat him!" Junto's words fell on deaf ears.

'_Interesting'_ Gojin thought. 'This kid has spunk'. As Link ran for Gojin, he snatched up the sword he'd dropped during his fall from the horse. He was armed now, and every cell in his body wanted to kill this man. Each of his footfalls made plodding sounds in the lush green grass, taking him closer and closer to vengeance. He remembered his promise: He would fight with passion. In the name of his dying people, this bastard was going to die. Energy welled in Link's legs. He breathed deeply as he ran; preparing himself to perform the feat he had in mind. With Impa's family sword in his left hand, and a deluge of his own blood in his right, he leapt with all the might he could muster, magic and all. His jump closed the gap on his foe; twenty feet he cleared. He sailed through the air with a grace that insinuated flight for a few moments, before coming down, blade ready to cut down Gojin with extreme prejudice. Gojin didn't move an inch, he just kept smiling that smile of his. '_Very interesting'_

Link's wickedly sharp blade slashed the thin air into manageable pieces. He came down hard lashing out with the sword as he landed. His boots skid through the grass, and he came to a halt. There was no one there. It was as though Gojin had, in the blink of an eye simply vanished. And now he stood behind Link. Link yelped as he came to this realization and followed up with a horizontal swipe of the blade aimed at Gojin's midsection. Nothing, the blade whizzed through the air once more hitting nothing. Gojin was standing beside Link now. 'What the hell!' He was simply blinking in and out of the picture, like a firefly in the dark; showing up momentarily, then disappearing only to appear somewhere else. Except this man was doing something else. Link couldn't tell what, but it was very odd.

Gojin grabbed Link's mangled arm and squeezed violently, causing a small spurt of blood to spatter Gojin's smiling face. Link screamed out in pure pain. He clumsily swung again; nothing. Link saw what happened this time, however it made even less sense now. Gojin had simply blinked away. That was the only way Link could describe it. One instant he was there, the next instant, he was somewhere else. In this case, he was standing beside the river about forty feet away. 'How is he so damn fast?' Gojin grinned one of what Link was beginning to believe to be his signature grins. He licked Link's blood from his lips.

"You can die now," he proclaimed, frank as hell. He stood about an inch before Link's face. "Wha-" Link had no time to react. Gojin's fist slammed into his face, hard. Link went careening backwards about five feet into Gojin's fist. '_What!' _Gojin was behind him now! He delivered a fierce elbow blow to Link's spine. Link screamed; there was definitely some serious damage now. He fell forward face first, but before he could even hit the ground, his face made contact with the general's boot by way of a punt. Gojin had grabbed his head and kicked it like a football. Link fell backwards now, flat on his back. At least this time, Gojin seemed to have been benevolent enough to allow him to hit the ground.

Link just lay there for a moment, unable to gain his bearings. Where was he? His head spun in a delirium. Blood ran from his ears. Link couldn't tell from whence it came, but Gojin now had a wicked looking sword. Did He have a sword before? Link couldn't remember. It was composed of some kind of energy or something, because it certainly wasn't metal. Gojin lifted the blade over Link's head. "Die," he gave this order to Link as he came down with the sword.

Link smiled. He didn't know why, but he did. It just felt right. He felt like when the rain fell on the pillows and the grass sang red. He could hear the jumping one fall through the wall, and into the happy. There were blue in his tea and pieces of moon in the ice. '_What?'_ Link tried to collect his thoughts, but failed. He must have been hit in the head pretty hard, because he had no idea what was going on. His thoughts made no sense to him, Was he? He couldn't decide weather or not he was. '_Was what?'_ 'What am I? Who put these rocks in my dog?' It was useless, he couldn't tell weather he was coming or going. His thoughts were a twisted vortex of confusion, from which he could decipher nothing. So he just smiled. Then all went to black.

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Zelda had almost reached Link, so she had dropped her magic shield in favor of running. Those guards didn't seem to be shooting anymore anyway, not now that this strange man was fighting Link. Link was losing, badly. She couldn't tell all that was going on from here, but from what she saw, nothing good. Link had started fighting some man in a black coat, and had since received the thrashing of his life. A tear welled up in Zelda's eye as she ran full sprint. '_Hold on Link'_

The fight had been one-sided from the start. The man would appear, then reappear somewhere else. He seemed to be bridging the gap between dimensions. He would step into another dimension, most likely one in which time moved much faster than in this one, and move to a desired location. He would then step back into this dimension in a new location. Zelda had read about this somewhere. But right now she didn't care; all that mattered was that Link was seriously hurt. The man had been slapping Link around like a rag doll. "Talon, Malon," she hollered to her friends on the bridge, as she motioned for them to follow her. They looked at her with a bit of trepidation, but finally began to follow her at a distance on their horses.

What Zelda planned to do was very risky, but escape was of key concern right now. This was a battle that could not be one. She could see that now, but she had to act fast. Gojin grabbed a kneeling Link by the head and kicked his face like an athlete would kick a ball. She winced. _'Link!'_ She was only about 100 yards from Link. But he wasn't moving.

Gojin extended his right arm out to his side, as though he was reaching for something that wasn't there. His hand disappeared into the thin air. It was as though he was reaching into an invisible cabinet. When he retracted it, there was a wicked ball of darkness in his hand; some kind of dark energy. It was pitch black and viciously turbulent, oscillating and crackling with interference, as though it were tearing a hole in the universe or something. Zelda didn't like the looks of it.

Junto was now up and running for Link also. He was going against his better judgment fighting a losing battle, but at least he would die with his boots on. "_Death is all that awaits you!"_ Gojin was a completely different person now! He was definitely still evil, but no longer calm and charming. His eyes were wild, and he was yelling in that horrible voice of his. He squeezed the ball in his hand tightly, causing it to vacillate even more violently. Tighter still he squeezed, until finally it ruptured in a flash of light. Out of the flash, Gojin was now holding a sword composed of the energy he'd just beheld. The blade was black as a starless night sky and still violently casting sparks and turbulence. The sword had no hilt; Gojin simply grasped the thin air at the base of the blade. He held it high over Link, ready to lob off his head in one fell swoop.

"NO!!" Zelda reached into her sleave and removed four of her Shiekan throwing needles, deadly sharp steel barbs, each about the size of a pencil. She deftly flung them at the man, praying he would die right there. But this wouldn't end so easily. The man simply blinked out of the path of the needles, appearing about ten feet away from Link's limp body. That was all the distance she needed. She dived the rest of the way to Link's side. Junto had also reached Link and stood beside him. Talon, and Malon both arrived on their horses, already regretting coming so close to the action.

Gojin laughed. He would enjoy killing so many pathetic fools at once. "All of you maggots are going to die!"

"Link!" Zelda shouted at him. He didn't respond. His eyes lay half closed and he was bleeding from his ears and mouth. Zelda silently prayed he would be alright. She turned to Junto. "I can get us out of here, but you have to buy me some time!" Link moaned pitifully, he didn't move, just drooled a little. Junto put himself between the rest of the party and Gojin, now it was up to him. He'd beaten Gojin before by using his own ability to traverse dimensions, but he was too gravely injured to use it now.

"Do your thing princess! I'll hold him off as long as I can!" he hollered over his shoulder. He never took his eyes off of Gojin. If he focused, he could intercept Gojin as he zipped around.

Zelda was frantic now. "Everyone, get close to me," Zelda shouted. Junto fell back obediently. Zelda thrust her arms out in front of her, casting a large prism of light around the entire party.

"You won't get away!" Gojin was now right outside their prism. He slashed at it with his wicked blade, shattering the barrier like glass. Junto swung his own blade at Gojin, but, as before, Gojin was too volitile to be cut down so easily. He blinked a few feet to the right and stabbed at Junto with his wicked sword. Junto Parried, flashing to the left in the same manner Gojin just had. He came out of his dimension shift in a roll, but he couldn't land it. He clumsily plopped to the ground. The pain in his abdomin was absoloutly crippling. The bullet festered in his gut and impaired his mobility. Gojin smirked. "Hah! Pathetic, you've lost your edge boy!" He leveled his blade to Junto's face. "Die now," he thrusted. Junto closed his eyes and waited. Nothing happened. When he opened his eyes, there was a blinding light all around him. The light was at an intensity that put seeing out of the question. There was nothing but this pure white light and a mute, noiseless void around them all for a moment. Junto tried to ask a question, but no sound escaped from his lips. So he merely stood there, collecting his thoughts. He couldn't even see any of the others because the light was so bright.

After about a minute of suspenseful silence, the light dissipated and the band of five found themselves at the beach. The sun shined brightly and a pleasant ocean spray kissed Junto's face. Before them a wooden dock covered the stretch of beach, lined with dozens of ships and all manner of sea faring vessels. This was Sun City, or at least the docks just outside of town! Junto laughed a little 'What a trick, teleportation!'

"There's no time!" Zelda cried looking down at Link. "Junto, which is your ship?" She demanded motioning to the dock. Zelda was desperate. She would not let Link die here. And if what she was feeling was accurate, that man was hot on their tails. 'He can teleport too!' She and Junto hefted the unconscious Link onto Talon's horse, and dashed down to the docks, followed closely by Malon and Talon.

"This way," Junto pointed up the docks to an orange and black ship with the letters ELUSIVE DESTINY painted on the side. Zelda had never in her life seen a ship like this before. As they approached she noticed the eccentricity of the vessel. It was a mid-sized, elliptically shaped ship with a large cabin and a small upper deck. The ship was built of wood, but encased in a metal shell. Two high masts defiantly stretched to the sky, pretensiously displaying pure white sails. The ship boasted four huge water paddles in front and behind it. It was both wind powered, _and_ steam powered. It was a grand ship, both opulent and pragmatic. It was an ostentatious vessel. Zelda figured it to be a ship of royalty. Junto _had_ said that he was a Judge of Ritz.

The ragtag party barreled up the ramp and onto the deck, collecting themselves and strewing their equipment about. Talon and Malon dismounted and tried to find a suitable place for all of their stuff. While Junto ran around frantically preparing for departure, Zelda watched over Link. He was a bloody mess and she lay him out as best as possible and tried to clean him up. A few salty tears fell, plopping onto Link's cheek and running down his chin. Zelda wanted to vomit. If she lost Link, than she really didn't believe there was much else to live for. This was the punctuation mark to everything that had happened up until now. No matter how bad things got, she would not lose Link. It simply was not an option. She had been holding him for a while waiting for Junto to cast off. His face was calm now, still dirty, but now he looked more like he was sleeping. Junto's voice came over all the voice tubes. "We're not out of this yet! Enemy ships inbound!!!"

SO!!! What do you all think? I hope that this chapter was as fun for you guys to read as it was for me to write. What do you guys think of the villain? I'm trying okay! . Anyway, stay tuned for chapter 8!


	8. Chapter 8 Down and Out

Okay kids, I'm SO sorry this took so dog gonned long! I've been super busy with College stuff, so I had to put stories on the back burner. Fortunately, my inspiration is back! And Chapter 8 is up!! SO PLEASE read and REVIEW!!! . 

Chapter** 8: Down and Out**

Malon ran along behind Junto as he made his way to the bridge of the Elusive Destiny. She had no trouble keeping up with him seeing as he was limping and bleeding everywhere. In the short time she'd known Junto, he seemed to be a proud young man, even now he was too proud to stop and let her dress his wound. He stood tall and sable skinned, with a muscular build and a mysterious charm. However, at the moment he was hunched and limping. His face was an easel onto which he painted his pain. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were barely even open now. He was covered in a cold sweat. Malon shook a little as she walked, trying to maintain her composure. "Junto stop, you have to let me look at that wound or you're gonna die!" She shouted, referring to the acorn sized bullet hole in his abdomen. She put her hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it away.

"_I'll_ be fine! You need to concern yourself with the matters at hand. Go arm yourself! There is an armory below deck. I can't guarantee you that we won't have to repel borders before we're out of this." Junto winced as he spoke. The bullet was probably festering in his gut right now. Malon was actually quite the nurse when it came down to it. And she knew he was in no condition to be up and about. Junto tried to scare her away with his most annoyed look, but Malon didn't care. She pestered him all the way to the bridge. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt unusually close to Junto. She was a great judge of character, so she never gave it a second thought. Besides, for some reason, he reminded her of Link in a lot of ways. And that could only be a good thing.

The bridge was a large chamber that sat at the aft of the ship. It was a big spherical room about the size of a large barn. The sphere consisted of an upper and a lower hemisphere, bisected by a steel mesh plane that served as a ceiling from below, and a floor from above. No doubt the one half was built below deck to offer protection, and the other above the deck allowing for the captain to see out over the ship from the helm. The chamber boasted a staircase off to each side granting access to the upper hemisphere. Akin to the rest of the ship, the bridge was opulently decorated with fancy wall colors and decorations.

Junto hurried to the steps on the left and ascended to the upper bay and the helm at the front of it all. Malon followed close behind, trying her best not to step in the blood trail he'd left behind him. The whole of upper bay was a glass dome providing an excellent view of the outside of the ship The glass was surrounded on the outside by a steel cage, no doubt to offer protection. The ship really was a marriage of beauty and practicality. The whole ship was made of a thick sturdy wood, but the outer hull was encased in steel.

Junto went to work, pulling levers and flipping switches until the sound of the inner mechanics of the ship could be heard stirring below. The Helm was much more complicated than Malon had imagined. The whole area was bristling with levers, gauges and switches. She couldn't imagine how Junto knew what they all did. It made her dizzy just thinking about it. Finally, after pulling one last lever the ship began to move very abruptly. From the dome, Malon could see that Junto hadn't bothered to undock the ship, so the Elusive Destiny simply tore the dock from the shore in its hasty departure. It really didn't matter; everyone in Hyrule was probably dead by now, so she didn't figure they'd raise much of a fuss. Malon felt a little pang of sadness in her realization that the whole nation had been murdered in the course of a few hours. This was like some nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. She shook her head, forcing the painful thoughts from her mind. This was a time for action, not reaction. The ship began to build speed and Malon took note of how the gauges displayed the ships course and velocity; speed, 25 knots and rising. 'High tech,' she thought.

"This ship is very unique" Junto began to explain. As he spoke, even his pain couldn't mask his obvious love for this vessel. He even cracked a smile as he spoke, despite the big hole in his abdomen. He continued, "It has three sources of locomotion: sails, to catch the wind. Four water rudders to utilize steam power; and this," Junto proclaimed, pointing to a large gearbox at the back of the chamber. There was a huge gear about ten feet in diameter that steadily turned in a notch cut out of the floor of the lower deck. As it turned, it turned other large gears in a giant gear box behind the wall. Malon couldn't help but wonder why Junto was showing her all of this. He continued," As the steam turns the water rudders, the rudders churn the water. The displaced water turns gears in the wells of the rudders, cranking more and more potential energy into a turbofan. The excess water falls down through a water wheel and back into the ocean. That water wheel pumps air into two tanks under the ship. When necessary, this ship can use that turbofan and dump those air tanks like rockets, achieving speeds of up to 150 knots."

Malon's mouth gaped a little," That's so complicated." She exclaimed. It was interesting, but she was too concerned with Junto's health to get very excited about it. So a lot of her enthusiasm was for show to keep him in his good mood.

Junto took the wheel of the ship and steered it out to open sea. "Look," he pointed to a few specks on the blue horizon. "Those are enemy ships. I'm hoping I can outrun them, but at this rate, they may catch us. I used the turbo tanks to get here from my own country, so they have to recharge. That is why-" Junto stopped mid-sentence and doubled over. He tried to stand, but fell back down. Malon knelt beside him. She wanted to tell him 'I told you so!', but she figured he got the point. So she simply asked," Now will you let me look at you?"

"Take the wheel," Junto replied tersely through clenched teeth.

"What?" Malon wasn't expecting that response.

"Just take the wheel, your going to be my helmsman." He flashed a grin at her and pointed to a large rock formation sticking out of the water on the horizon. "We need to go there." He scooted a few feet across the floor until his back was to the wall. Malon grabbed hold of the wheel and began to guide the vessel through the water, but focused most of her attention on listening to Junto. "That is the coast of Santa Clara," he started. "If we get close enough, their navy will intervene. The Garro wouldn't even _dream_ of fighting a naval battle with the Santa Clara navy, especially if they aren't being paid to do it. Besides, we can use Santa Clara as a place to launch our next move." Junto looked down at his wound, then back into Malon's eyes. "We'll all be counting on you to get us out of here. I'm going to be out of commission for a while." Malon began to tremble a bit as she Junto's words sunk in. She didn't know the first thing about operating a ship, much less taking this thing out to sea! She was feeling a bit nauseas now.

Junto removed his blood-sticky trench coat and set it on the deck beside him, revealing his bare chest and midsection. Malon gasped. He was absolutely covered in scars. From his chest to his shoulders, and trailing down his legs, his sable body was marked up with scars. Most were from stabbing and slashing wounds, several were analogous with the fresh wound in his abdomen, so they must have been gunshot wounds. Malon felt a little sorry for him, he must have been through a lot of horrible things to be that marred. She recalled a time when she had accidentally walked in on Link when he was changing his shirt. His body looked very much the same, like a tic-tac-toe board. She would never forget that. Adventuring isn't as romantic as it is depicted in story books. Tales of heroism usually start with those of death. She would make sure she remembered that.

Junto then took his index and middle fingers and stuck them into his bullet wound, cringing all the way in. Malon winced, she didn't see that coming. He felt around for a bit, like a person trying to extract a swallowed object from the mouth of a dog. Finally, clenching his teeth and whimpering a little, he pulled out a lead ball about half an inch in diameter. Out of breath, he held it to the light and examined it for a few seconds before tossing it to the floor and delving back into his wound. After a few moments, he extracted a small piece of cloth that was blown out of the coat and into his wound. He discarded it as well. Now Junto just lay there, out of breath and covered in a cold sweat. He looked over to Malon. "Don't worry about me, I'm a fast healer. Just concern yourself with getting us out of here." He laid his head back against the wall and continued in an exasperated whisper, "The garo have no shipboard cannons or weapons to fire at us, so they'll have to either board our ship, or ram us if they plan to attack. You have to keep us as far away from them as possible."

If Malon was feeling nauseous before, she felt downright sickly now. She had never felt so much pressure in her life. "Don't worry, I have faith in you" Junto breathed. He winked at her, and with that, he blacked out.

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Link awoke to a gentle touch and the bright rays of the sun shining into his eyes. He squinted into the radiance in order to make out what had happened. He was lying in someone's lap while they gently stroked his cheek. As his eyes finally adjusted, Zelda's smiling face came into view as she hovered over him. "So you finally woke up, took you long enough!" Zelda teased, sticking her tongue out at him. They were lying on the wooden upper deck of a ship, or at least Link was. Zelda seemed content to allow Link to utilize her lap as a pillow. Link's head spun. 'What just happened?'

"What happened, where did everyone go?" Link's voice sounded distant to him, like an echo in the desert.

"You boob, you went all gung-ho and got yourself hurt!" You're lucky to have such a patient girlfriend. You've been out for hours." She poked him in the cheek playfully to emphasize her point. Link immediately sat up, propping himself on one arm and looking Zelda dead in the eyes.

"Are you hurt!? Did we make it?!

"Shh", Zelda lay him back down. "It's all right. We're on Junto's ship, the Elusive Destiny. You slept through all the naval action. We even got away from those goons in the boats, so it's smooth sailing from here to Santa Clara." She brushed a strand of hair from Link's face. "You should get as much rest as you can, that guy wailed on you pretty badly Link." Zelda noted with a hint of levity in her voice.

"Your certainly in a good mood," Link Noted, raising an eyebrow. They had just had their homeland destroyed. Zelda wasn't the type to dwell on things, but she didn't take serious matters lightly either.

Her slight smirk faded a bit. "A lot just happened." She looked down into his eyes. "I lost everything today, my home, my friends and family, everything." A solitary tear welled up in her eye and began its hike down her cheek. Link really didn't like to see her cry. He prepared to say some conciliatory words, but Zelda silenced him with a finger to his lips. She continued. "But you know, I learned today that I could live with that. I could live with losing everything, just as long as I have you." The tear leaped from the tip of her nose onto the cool blue fabric of her Shiekan uniform. "So when I thought I had lost you Link, I j-just… I mean-"Link cut her off with a tender kiss to her quivering lips.

"But I'm still her Zelda, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Exactly," She said just before returning his kiss with another. And that is why I'm in a good mood. Because, out of everything that I lost, I still have you Link." Her weak smile returned. "So I'm going to keep on the sunny side of life," she proclaimed proudly, running her fingers through his sandy blonde hair. "So you get some rest Link, because tomorrow morning we arrive in Santa Clara, and from there, we make our move!"

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YES!! So, what do ya think!? D Read and Review PLEASE!! I must know if anyone actually reads this stuff! XD I just gotta know!!


	9. Chapter 9: of Love and Money!

**HEY!! Chapter nine is finally here! I'm taking the time to elaborate into the personal feelings of the characters in this chapter. Sorry it took so long, but this is also one of my longest chapters EVAR! . So please read and review!**

**I also wanted to take the time to thank everyone that has taken the time to review so far. You people are the only ones keeping me writing! XD**

**Faregwenevre: yep, this is definately a LinkXZelda! ;**

**Cage of seireitei: I'm SO glad that you like the story, I'm trying to blend action and romance into a delicate balance here:)**

**Conker: I'd LOVE it if you were my beta, and thanks for the constructive criticism. Every little bit helps! **

**Pippin: I love that YOU love it! For reals, if I didn't get reviews like yours I'd have stopped writing a while ago!**

**Alex Hyori: Thanks alot! Again it's the positive reviews that remind me that people actually read this stuff:p**

**Skull King: Glad you like it, make sure you read the rest of the chapys! D **

**Okay, and without further delay: **

**Chapter 9: Of Love and Money**

"Y'all better enjoy that food, because it's the last meal we can afford!" Talon warned. The whole motley crew was gathered around the simple oak table provided by the inn, eating their fill of breakfast. It had been two days since this ragtag entourage had landed in Santa Clara, and taken residence within the Seaside Inn. During which time, Link and Junto had spent recovering from their injuries, Zelda and Malon took the opportunity to unwind after all that had happened, and Talon simply slept. However, now that everyone was wide awake and physical, it seemed as though new problems were springing up in place of the old ones.

Zelda sighed, "We really are going to have to come up with some money quickly. We can barely even cover the cost of the inn here. Another day of 'I owe you's' and we'll surly be thrown out." She cast a defeated look at the runny eggs before her. The food wasn't that great either. She slid her plate to her left, where Link was situated. He wouldn't mind eating it. He and Junto seemed to be the only ones present who could stomach the ill prepared breakfast this morning.

"It_is_ pretty pricey considering how crappy this food is," Malon conceded. "But it certainly doesn't seem to bother our resident pair of bottomless pits!" She ribbed, motioning towards both Link and Junto who had spent the last ten minutes scarfing down all manner of poorly prepared food to be found on the table.

"Look," Link began to speak between large bites of something in his hand that looked as though it may have once been a loaf of bread "It takes a lot of energy to recover from injuries, we're just in a…recovering stage! You girls are just spoiled; I've had to eat MUCH worse food than this before. You haven't tasted bad food until you've tried to eat a wolfos!" He gave a small chuckle, "Right Junto?"

Junto looked up from whatever he was destroying on his plate. "SHERMPH," he mumbled unintelligibly with his mouth full of food. He had already made a full recovery from his wound in just two days. Junto sat at the round table between Malon and Link, dressed in his usual attire. He wore his judge uniform, which consisted of matching black trousers, boots, and a high collared long sleeve shirt. Over this uniform he wore a white coat that extended to his calves. The coat was left unfastened save for a belt in on Junto's waist worn over the coat.

Junto swallowed before going on. "On the battlefield, you never know where your next meal is going to come from," he wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked around the table at the forlorn faces of his comrades. "Look, it's like Talon just said, we're broke anyway, so we may as well enjoy this last meal." He took a few swigs of water from the wooden mug before him. "We're all going to have to go out and make some cash before we can move on."

"Ugh," Malon sank in her chair and used her fork to poke the undercooked piece of meat on the plate before her. '_My Country was destroyed, family uprooted, we're under attack, and now I'm going to have to get a job on this trip?!_' She exchanged frustrated glances with Zelda across the table.

"Hey, it can't be helped," Junto pointed out matter-of-factly. "The ship needs repairs and ammunition, plus there are maintenance fees to pay."

"There's also the docking fee," Talon chimed in, a little too cheerily for the situation.

"Not to mention room and board, stable fees for the horses, and all of the miscellaneous things we'll need for what lies ahead," Link added with a coy grin. At this point he was just trying to fluster the girls who were less than thrilled about getting jobs out here. He elbowed Zelda gently. "We'll be fine!" He flashed his signature "everything is going to be okay" grin.

Zelda just sighed again. "I know. It just feels like a waste of time and energy. I mean Hyrule was just wiped out, we need to get back at this Gojin guy, and we're sitting here worrying about getting part time jobs!"

Link placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He wasn't worried at all. Of course Link had had much more experience with long drawn out quests than either Zelda or Malon. He recalled his digressions during his time traveling adventures to be some of his fondest memories. Images of Biggoron and the happy mask salesman filled his head for a moment. Link was pretty sure it was a healthy thing to take your mind off of the pressures of life sometimes. All of the side quests had kept Link from losing his mind back then.

"Can I get you kids any more of my fine home cooking?" The female innkeeper inquired. During the course of their conversation the innkeeper had walked in and began removing the empty plates from the table. She was a cheeky woman in her forties who wasn't aging very gracefully. Her salt and pepper hair was beginning to turn blue at the scalp and her oversized yellow dress and apron did little to hide her spare tires. "I trust y'all found everything delectable." The innkeeper muttered as she fought to wrestle Junto's plate from him. Zelda eyed the middle aged woman suspiciously. She was beginning to wonder if this woman was cooking badly on purpose. It almost seemed criminal to cook that poorly, especially if you call yourself running an inn. The innkeeper shifted her gaze to Link. "What?" She grumbled. "You want some more?" She asked in an escalating tone of voice.

"Oh no that's it, I'm stuffed!" Link breathed, patting his full stomach. "But I think _she_ said she was dying for some more of that sausage!" He chimed in playfully, motioning towards Malon. Of course he was fully aware that she hadn't touched the terror since it had been placed on her plate half an hour ago. Malon shot him a glare that clearly meant, 'laugh it up while you can, because you don't have much longer to live!'

"Well that's too bad lass," the innkeeper barked. "You all just ran out of credit." She pushed her glasses further onto the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "That is, unless you plan to drop the cash for another two days," She rubbed her index finger and thumb together in a gesture that implied that she needed payment before they would receive another meal.

"Eh," Junto looked up at the old woman sheepishly. "We're working on that," he sighed.

"I hope so," she pressed impatiently. "Unless you fork up some cash, tonight is your last night here at the Seaside Inn! This is a respectable business, not a refugee camp!" With that, she spun on her heal and hobbled from the room.

"Ugh, I don't think I have _ever_ seen a more unattractive woman in my life!" Talon noted, making a sour face. He stood up and stretched, yawning loudly and patting his belly. "Well then, it looks like the hunt is on! It's time for us to hit the streets!"

Junto rose to his feet and strode to the cot he'd been sleeping in since his stay at the Seaside inn. He snatched up his massive sword that had been leaning against the wall and began to make his way towards the door. "I'll see you guys later, I already have something in mind," and at that, he left the inn.

"It's good to see he's a team player!" Link remarked jokingly as he and the rest of the party rose from their seats. "But I do think he has the right idea, we should all split up and meet back here later on this evening," with that, he filed from the small inn and into the sunny sea kissed air. This was going to be an interesting day to say the least.

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Santa Clara was a large island city off the coast of the main continent. Every year, millions of people flocked to its crystal blue beaches and sunny coast side resorts for a bit of fun in the sun and an escape from the ordinary. 'So,' Zelda thought. 'In a town with so many tourists who are willing to empty their pockets, there must be a ton of lucrative opportunities just waiting for some young talented girl like myself to take advantage of them!' She smiled to herself; this was going to be a piece of cake!

Shortly after the party had disbursed, Zelda had made her way to the beach in search of opportunity. Now she sat on a beachside bench brainstorming. As she contemplated, she watched the hundreds of people along the beach as they ran about, splashing into the water and bathing in the sunlight. She watched the small children running about, playing tag and kicking over each other's sand castles. Her eyes danced furtively across the scenery as she took in the beauty of the beach. Her eyes lit up. "That's it!" she shouted, and ran off to get the materials she was going to need.

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Link and his opponent stood at the ready, squaring off in the center of the elevated ring, with hundreds of onlookers cheering from the sidelines. Situated in the center of the town square, everyone in the immediate area had long since dropped what they were doing to watch the final bout of the Santa Clara martial arts tournament. Link felt a cold bead of sweat run from the nape of his neck and down his bear chest. 12,000 rupees were riding on this match.

The man before him was a hulking behemoth of muscle and bone. He was a large bald man with a serious farmer's tan and a rugged beard to match. At the moment, both Link and his opponent were half dressed as per the rules of the match. Link wore only his grey under trousers(yeah, I made them thin grey pants instead of tights, think twighlight princess! ; ), boots, and his belt to keep his pants up. His adversary on the other hand, had chosen to strip down to his boots and boxers, an unpleasant sight to say the least.

Link stared into the wild eyes of his gargantuan opponent. He wouldn't look away, no matter how unpleasant this man was. Link had faced off against beings and beasts alike, often one hundred times the size of this oaf. Link returned the giant's gaze with the fiercest glare he could muster. His opponent was not impressed. The man smiled at him and licked his lips. "Your dead boy!" he mouthed with enthusiasm. Link just stood there waiting, his fighting stance never faltering.

Link, unlike most of the people in this tournament, had no master. His teacher was the battlefield, and he was a pupil of combat itself. Fight or die, he'd learned this long ago. Link had honed his hand to hand combat skills through the harsh realities of life. He was a master of practicality over style, and right now he was hoping that his pragmatic combat skills would be enough to best his significantly more powerful foe.

The bell rang and Link flew at his opponent like a tiger, willing to attack the larger elephant for the sake of survival. He sailed through the air as he executed a flying leap kick, hoping to knock this guy out quickly and efficiently. '_Were it so easy'._ The great man snatched Link's foot out of the air inches before contact, and swung Link by his leg as though he were a sledge hammer, slamming his body into the pavement below. Snakes of pain slithered up the side of Link's body as he landed on his half-healed shoulder. Having never let go of Link's leg, the beastly man hefted link into the air once more, this time over his head as he prepared to through Link to the ground like a sack of feed. Link reacted with lightning fast reflexes; he used his good shoulder to wrench himself into position, and chopped the giant in his throat, just above the Adam's apple. Needless to say, he let go.

The crowd went wild, cheering for Link as he once again set both feet on the ground. It seemed the crowd favored him as the underdog. _'So be it,'_ Link thought as he prepared for his counter offensive. His opponent clutched his throat, gasping for breath, so distracted that he didn't even realize that Link, like a ghost, had phased in behind him. Link may not have had this man's power, but he was much too fast for this guy to keep track of. Without warning, Link dashed at the man, brought his arm to bear, and smashed him in the back of the head with his elbow. Link's opponent stood perfectly still for a few seconds, then stumbled forward a few steps. Link charged in like a gator from the pond. He ran up to the left side of his dazed foe, grabbed his arm from the base of the shoulder. Using his opponents arm like a lever, Link yanked it down over his own shoulder and effectively flung his opponent into the stands with a deftly executed Judo throw. The audience members scattered to avoid being crushed, and the beastly man fell to the pavement, out cold. The crowd roared, whistling and chanting uproariously. Link grinned; the prize for this tournament was 12,000 rupees. 'Hard fought, and hard won!' He thought to himself.

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A fly landed on Junto's temple, he brushed it off. But it wasn't a fly; it was a bead of sweat. Junto dared to poke his head out from behind the rock to catch a glimpse of his target. The grand beast lay docile and narcissistic, almost to the degree that Junto had second thoughts about slaying it, but he reminded himself that such ambivalence would get him killed.

Upon landing in Santa Clara, Junto had heard some of the port guards speak of a giant wolf that had been ravaging the town as of late. More than 100 people had fallen victim to the insatiable bloodlust of the animal. The city militia had even gone so far as to offer an 11,000 rupee reward to anyone who had the skills to slay this beast. Junto had, at the time, written this off. But after the realization that he and the party were short on money, he'd decided to make plans to kill this beast and collect the reward money. He'd received word around town that it resided in a cave, cut into the side of a mountain a few miles north of town. Word on the street was that the beast only came out to kill at night, and that it spent the days lounging in the cave. The giant beast had, reportedly, smashed its way into several homes and dragged its prey off into the night to feast on their bones in a hideaway. So Junto had few qualms about killing it. He had ventured to the cave, and made his way quietly and carefully down it's passageways until at last he approached the bone littered den of the beast.

Now, Junto sat hidden, crouched behind a large black rock in the darkness of the cave. He clutched the hilt of his massive blade, ready to strike if the beast caught wind of his presence. Word around town was that this monster was a large wolf, but Junto had never seen any wolf this large in his life. The "wolf" was _at least_ the size of an elephant, Junto couldn't be totally sure because it was lying down, so odds were it was even larger still. Through the obscure light barley reaching the den from the mouth of the cave, Junto could see that the beast had black fur and piercing yellow eyes that shown through the darkness. It wasn't asleep at all; it was laying down gnawing on a bone. Junto squinted in the darkness. '_A human bone!'_ Junto tightened his grip on his sword. He prepared to stand and face this monster here and now. He hadn't worked up a plan for fighting such a gargantuan beast, but he worked best under pressure.

Just when Junto had pumped himself up to fight this thing, _another_ one stepped through an opening in the back of the den! A second pair of yellow eyes flashed through the darkness like twin lanterns. Junto was a bit disconcerted now. He would have to work something out; he wasn't sure if he could take _two_ house-sized wolves in such confined quarters equipped as he was. He would have to regroup and come back later with a plan and some more equipment, he wasn't sure his sword alone would be enough. Junto began taking slow, deliberate steps backwards, inching his way back down the corridor from whence he had come. He didn't see this as a retreat, but a tactical withdrawal. He grinned to himself in the darkness as he rationalized, and continued down the tunnel.

The rock came out of nowhere. It was as though this particular rock had a funny bone. It was as though the rock had said to itself, 'let's see what happens if I do _this_!' Regardless of the intentions of the rock, it went unnoticed by Junto until he tripped over its protruding form, falling to the hard stone floor and landing hard on his hands and knees with a thud. His sword made a ridiculously loud "CLACK" as he hit the ground. Junto sat there, kneeling on the ground, perfectly still. Had the beasts heard him? He prayed silently for a moment. _Nothing. _Junto exhaled, he'd been holding his breath. He stood up and began to slowly make his way down the tunnel towards the pin prick of light that was his exit.

That's when Junto heard it, the padding. A sound like the padding of wolf paws on the cool stone floor. "Damn!" He got up and began to run full sprint down the cave way. _And still the padding sound behind him!_ His legs powered him over outcroppings in the rock walls and stones that sought to betray him to his pursuers. Adrenaline and shock drove him forwards. The padding sounds were getting closer. He dared a quick glance behind him. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw two pairs of fierce yellow eyes chasing him through the darkness. "Shit!" he cursed as he blazed forward. He was only 100 feet from the mouth of the cave now! He felt the lactic acid build up in the muscles of his legs. Every breath from his lungs was a searing flame that set his esophagus on fire. 20 feet! The padding of giant wolf paws was right behind him now. The light of the entrance expanded until he was enveloped by the harsh sunlight. He leapt from the mouth of the cave and into the mountain air with two beasts mere inches in his wake.

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Having finished her work for the day, Malon was pretty confident that she had more than enough money. Her bright red hair danced in the seaside breeze as she strolled down the cream colored cobblestone road beside the beach, tossing up and catching a small pouch of rupees. She had donned her work clothes and gone to work in a local stable, earning her several hundred rupees for the day. It was the kind of work she knew best. She couldn't help but giggle as she thought about the happenings of the day. She could work twice as hard as the stable owner's best male hand. She recalled the look of disbelief on his face as she effortlessly hefted an 80 pound sack of grain into the shed with one hand. She wiped her dirty hands on her soiled trousers and plaid shirt. "All in a day's work," she mouthed to herself as she strolled down the beachside road. The noontime sun shot glitters of glimmering rays off of the ocean, creating a beautiful cascade effect that Malon had never seen before. She stood there for a moment, transfixed by the beauty of the beach. This would almost be a nice place to live, she thought.

"Huh?" As Malon's eyes traced the crystal coast, she caught glimpse of Zelda further down the beach. She was dressed in a pure white two piece bikini sitting in a chair before an easel and a man who sat in an adjacent chair as she painted his picture. 'Well that's creative,' she thought to herself. She'd never known that Zelda could paint. It was funny, seeing Zelda painting seemed to strike a chord in her. Malon's mother was a painter. She winced as she realized that she had been pretty snotty towards Zelda lately, specifically because she and Link were an item now. But from what she had seen, they _really_ did love each other. Malon picked up her stroll once again. She mentally rebuked herself. She'd have to be nicer to Zelda from here on out.

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Junto sailed into the bright noontime sunlight and through the mountain air with the two hulking beasts directly behind him, slashing and biting at his coattail. The two enormous wolves looked like black shadows, even in the bright sunlight, as thought they were merely silhouettes and not real beasts at all. Junto turned his attention to a more pressing matter; he was beginning to regret jumping from the mouth of the cave. The cavern was more of a burrow than a cave. It had been meticulously cut out the side of the steep grassy mountainside, no doubt by the wolves themselves. Junto, in his hasty retreat had intrepidly leapt from its mouth. _And here the problems begin._

The slope of the mountain was upwards of fifty degrees, and Junto was in freefall now. He flailed his arms and waved his sword like a giant wing in an attempt to stabilize himself, but it did little to help in midair. He was less concerned about the wolves the wolves than the fifty foot fall. Not to mention that after a few hundred yards of this slope, there was a sheer drop off all the way to the ground, which was at least a few hundred feet down. He braced himself as the sloped grassy terra firma came towards him startlingly fast, he would have to tuck and roll to keep from breaking bones.

Bolts of pain shot up Junto's legs as they made hard contact with the earth, and were swept from under him just as quickly by his forward momentum on the steep slope. He tucked and rolled alright. He began a vicious barrel roll down the slope. Every time his body made a full revolution he would see the outline of the two giant wolves chasing him down the mountain. They never missed a step, apparently having no trouble running down the mountain. Junto untucked his legs and began an uncontrolled butt slide down the grassy slope. He had a plan, but it was flimsy. He was about 100 yards from the drop off now. The left most wolf swung at him with its marred claws, each the size of long swords. He ducked his head down, just barely avoiding decapitation. _50 yards._ Junto spun around, butt sliding backwards down a fifty degree incline with two house sized wolves a few feet behind. 'This is insane!' Now he could see the wolves in the full light of day. They were much more gruesome then they were in the darkness of the cave. Their fur was mottled and covered with moss, blood, and the rotting flesh of their pray. The wolf to Junto's right had a human skull skewered onto one of his claws, and maggots writing in his fur like worms emerging from muddy soil.

Junto's thoughts were interrupted when the left most wolf pounced at him. Everything happened in slow motion. _30 yards_. Junto rose, sliding backwards down the slick mountainside on his hands and knees. The beast descended from the sky, its black mottled body blocking out the sun like a swarm of bats. _10 yards._ The wolf was right on top of him now; it seemed to have decided to crush Junto with its body by simply belly flopping onto him from above. Junto risked a fatal tumble by shifting his wait from his hands and knees to his feet, letting off of his hands to grab his sword from its scabbard on his back. His black boots slid through the slick wet grass making a sound not unlike pulling leaves from a head of lettuce. _2 yards._ The wolf was over him. Junto smelled rotting flesh on its body, and bristles of its foul unwashed fur brushed his face, dropping maggots onto him from above.

"YAH!!" Junto cried out as he planted his blade into the last few inches of hillside. His feet slid out from under him and off the edge of the cliff, the momentum of his legs yanking the rest of his body and causing his shoulders to pop as he clutched the hilt of his sword. The beast that had pounced at him simply sailed over the edge, completely without incident. However the other one turned tail just before it reached the ledge, digging its massive claws into the slope to slow its decent. The remaining wolf was in a predicament much like the one Junto was in. Its hind legs dangled from the cliff as it struggled to hold on with its fore paws. However, Junto was quicker to the kill. He'd already pulled himself up and was now standing over the wolf, looking into the beast's burning yellow eyes. He saw no fear of death within them, no pity, no pain, or remorse, only rage burned within. As the eyes of the beast and Junto's met, burnt umber met goldenrod yellow, Junto swung his great sword at the beast's left paw, severing a few claws and digits. It yelped and let go, falling a few hundred feet to the jagged rocks below. Junto knelt down and hefted one of the claws he'd severed. 'And to the victor go the spoils of war' he thought, and tucked the fencepost sized claw under his arm. This claw would have to serve as his claim ticket.

Junto cautiously approached the slick edge of the cliff and peered over to assess the fate of the giant animals. The first wolf that had fallen seemed to have snapped its neck on impact, as it simply lay there with its body in an unnatural and lifeless position. The other wolf had been impaled onto an outcropped rock in the cliff face. A person or smaller animal would have broken their back or simply been pulverized by such a large protrusion, but the giant wolf was so large that its momentum had forced the jagged rock right through its body. Junto had seen enough, he spun on his heel, and began the trek back to Santa Clara.

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As Zelda strolled down the street towards the inn, the bag of rupees on her hip jingled and jangled, causing a smile to play at the corner of her soft lips. Back home in the castle, Zelda had painted as a hobby to pass the time. On a few occasions, she had been told that she could be a true artist, but she had never really taken anyone's opinion seriously. She was the princess after all; half of those people were practically paid just to be her yes-men. However, she never thought she could make so much money painting portraits on the beach. Her spirits were high and she was in the best mood she'd been in since the incident in Hyrule. The beach had always had a way of putting her in a good mood. She'd even bought a new bathing suit. She had been wearing the white bikini all day, it even helped to draw in customers! Zelda grinned as she thought of her cunning. She wondered what Link would think of it when he saw her in it. Her face reddened a bit.

Zelda's bare feet made soft padding sounds on the cool tile floor of the inn. The Seaside Inn was a small inn house that was built directly beside the home of the innkeeper. While sparse in luxury, the inn had its charm. The walls were a pleasant coral that merged with the cream colored floor seamlessly. Behind the inn house a small pier reached into the ocean providing one of the best views of the harbor on the island. The inn house was really only composed of two rooms, a kitchen and a living area. The living area consisted of one large square room with a cot in each corner, one in the middle, and a window on each wall.

Zelda looked around the two room inn house. Good, that crusty old innkeeper wasn't here. She stepped into the large living area of the inn and made her way to her cot. '_I wonder what the others are doing?'_ she thought as she plopped herself down on the small cot. Zelda sighed deeply. It really was a pretty island. It would almost be a nice place to live. She thought to herself. She found herself frowning, if only her life wasn't so tragic. Every time things started to look up, it was as though fate intervened in order to make sure that she never became happy. If she had things her way, she started to reminisce; she would live right out here, beside the beach. Everyday, she would go out and paint these beautiful islands and the people that so loved them. And then she would come home, to some simple and cozy abode. And of course she would marry Link. _Link._ She thought. Maybe she was being a bit selfish. Her problems paled in comparison to what he'd been through. And somehow, he managed to smile every day.

Zelda remembered the constant state of pain and anguish Link had been in when she had reunited with him after his journeys. She never wanted to see him like that again. She sat up and dangled her legs over the edge of the cot, wiggling her toes a bit. She sure was pensive today. She came to the realization that being so close to the ocean really did put her in a good, albeit reflective, mood. She strode to the window and peered out. She gasped, Link!

Link stood unmoving out at the far end of the pier, looking out into the ocean. He wore no shirt, only his grey trousers and boots. He wasn't wearing his hat either, and his blonde hair danced in the wind in a manner that it was usually too fettered to perform. How long had he been standing there? Zelda wondered. She donned some beach flip flops and made her way to the door, tossing her sack of rupees onto her cot. As she hurried around the inn house the base of the pier, the warm sea breeze encircled her, flipping her golden hair in the wind and playing at the ties on her bikini. Zelda hurried up the pier, stopping about six feet behind Link. He still didn't move. From this close Zelda could see Link's bare and scarred back. She looked up and down Link's back. It was covered with scars from battle; the same could be said of his chest and torso. She remembered the first time she had seen Link's body, it had startled her to no end. It seemed unreal to have so many slash wounds and stabbings in a lifetime. She remembered that Link had told her that the Triforce of courage had made him impervious to infection, a God send considering the number of times he'd been wounded. Link still hadn't moved from that same spot, his back to her as he gazed out at the ocean. He must have been deep in thought. Zelda hurried over to him, where she walked up to the rail beside him, and leaned over it to gaze at the ocean with him.

"It really is beautiful isn't it," Link reveled, showing signs of life for the first time. He finally shifted his gaze from the ocean to Zelda beside him. She didn't look at him directly, instead her eyes were transfixed on the sparkling horizon that had him captivated just moments ago. Her fine hair blew in the wind and the sun shone boldly off of her newly tanned skin. Link blinked a couple times. '_Since when did she get that bikini?'_ He wondered, taking note of her exceptionally curvaceous body. When Link's eyes made round trip back to Zelda's face she was looking right at him. He reddened a little; he'd been caught looking her over. _'ouch,'_ He thought to himself. Zelda just smiled at him, and looked into his eyes with a deep gaze, not unlike the one she had been looking at the sea with a moment before. They both shared that silent gaze for a moment before Zelda finally spoke.

"It_is_ beautiful," she said just before planting a kiss on his lips. Link stood flustered for a second, he hadn't seen Zelda this peaceful since Hyrule fell. Now, as she stared into his eyes on that pier, he knew that they would be alright. No matter what was to come in the future, they would be okay. Somehow, this beautiful woman always knew how to put him into just the right mood, and he loved her for it. He slid his arm around her and they both turned towards the horizon, looking out at the sea together.

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When Junto stepped into the inn house, he found Malon staring out the window at the pier. She turned to him with a start, as though she had just been caught doing something wrong.

"What is it?" Junto asked, curiously making his way to the window. Malon said nothing; instead she motioned out the window as he approached. Junto looked out at the pier. Link and Zelda were at the far end, embracing and staring out into ocean. It was actually a bit heartwarming.

"Those two really do love each other," he commented before breaking his gaze and making his way to his cot. He set his sword and bag of rupees on the floor beside the cot and flopped onto the soft mattress. He sighed before closing his eyes. What Link and Zelda did together had little to do with him. He'd had a long enough day as it was. He was actually quite touched that the two had found such obvious and true love so young. In a way, it reminded him of his own love, _her_. Junto fought to push the thoughts from his mind, she was dead now, killed by the Garo, and that was that. Dwelling on her memory would only put him into a bad mood, and he didn't need that now. He had to stay focused. He opened his eyes and flinched a little when he saw Malon's big blue eyes staring right into his.

"Junto, have you ever been in love?" Malon asked coquettishly as she looked down upon his dark features.

"No," he lied. The last thing he needed right now was to think about, _her._ "Did you make any money?" he followed up quickly to change the subject.

Malon eyed Junto suspiciously. He was hiding something. She was an excellent judge of character, and even better at telling when someone was lying. But she decided to let it go, if he'd lied about it he probably had a good reason. So she just answered his question. "Yep, I was working down at the stables in town, I actually earned quite a bit for just one day's work. She beamed proudly.

"Good, come on," he said, grabbing his own bag of reward money from the floor. "Let's go get some things we're going to need on our journey." He stood and lightheartedly patted her on the shoulder before making his way to the door and out the room, motioning for Malon to follow. She promptly got her money from under her pillow and ran out the door after him.

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"Haven't you ever wished that moments like this could just never end?" Zelda asked Link as they both stared into the horizon.

"All the time," Link responded tenderly before kissing her gently on the lips and pulling from their warm embrace. "I'd say it's time," he spoke in a more serious tone. "While I'd love for moments like this to last a lifetime, there are things we have to take care of. It's time we made ready to take care of the fiends that destroyed our homeland. Are you ready for that Zelda?" He asked much more serious than before.

"Always," she replied determined. They both began the short trip back to the inn house. On the way down the pier, Zelda asked Link about the bruises on his arms and shoulders.

"I tripped," He responded playfully, recalling the pounding fights of the tournament. "Hard!" He joked, knowing Zelda didn't buy his story. They lightheartedly chased each other down the pier to the inn, and the plans they'd have to make for the first leg of the journey that was to come.


	10. Chapter 10: Cold and to the Point

Chapter 10: Cold and to the point

_The Kokiri sword stirred nervously in Link's small hand_. _A bead of sweat dripped from his brow and into his eye, causing it to twitch. He looked on, refusing to break his gaze from the reptilian terror before him. The Lizafo never missed a step, waving its wretched blade menacingly, and hoisting its shield before itself as though it was accustomed to doing battle with ten year old boys like this one. _

_Link presented the monster with his most menacing glare as he squared off with it, trying to understand his situation. Only a week ago, he'd been an ordinary kokiri boy, safe within the confines of the lost woods, completely secluded from the world outside. Now he was going toe to toe with a giant lizard man that thirsts for his blood. He'd never fought an opponent so, "human" before. While clearly not a man, this beast walked like one. It spoke no words to him, but apparently it had reasonable intelligence, for it wore ragged clothes, and brandished a wicked sword and a cheaply stamped metal shield. Link had only used a sword for the first time a week ago, and now he was expected to fight such a fearsome beast?! 'It's not fair!' he thought to himself as he held his small sword before him. He didn't even have the luxury of his own shield, a small chunk of wood neatly carved from the sturdy trees of his forest home. It was without question his favorite tool, but it had all too quickly succumbed to the heat of this subterranean dungeon, bursting into flames as Link had leapt over one of the many pits of molten fire._

_In the small chamber within Dodongo's cavern, cut into the base of Death Mountain, the low light of the torches, and the soft glow from the pools of molten lava made it seem as though Link was to fight his way from the pits of hell. In the pool of molten magma behind him, a fiery bubble rose to the surface and burst with a loud searing "TSHHH" that seemed to symbolize the start of this battle. The lizafo charged at his juvenile target, sword at the ready, and the claws of its toes clicking upon the hot stone floor of the chamber. _

_Link had no choice, he rushed at his foe. To anyone who may have been watching, it would have been unheard of to see this small child in green charge his opponent so intrepidly. A young boy with a tiny sword vying against a six foot lizard with razor sharp teeth and a large blade of its own, it seemed like a bad joke. But it would have been even more shocking to said onlooker if he continued to watch this "one-sided" fight. If someone were to look on, they'd have seen the young boy in green swiftly roll under the deftly swung blade of this lizard man and dive around behind him. They would have seen the young boy jump up and mount the scaly fiend from behind, wrapping his strong wiry arms around it's neck. Yes, if there were an onlooker, he'd have seen this young boy endure a savage beating from the beast-man's tail as he clung to its neck from behind, choking the flailing beast. Finally, any onlooker would have stared on in disbelief as this ten year old choked this hulking reptile to the ground, then drove his razor sharp little sword into the back of this beast's neck at the base of it's spine, killing it instantly. They'd have been speechless as they watched this child rise to his full height of but a few inches over four feet tall, the dead man-beast at his feet, and kick it in the ribs for good measure._

_Link breathed the fire from his lungs, a hot breath he'd been holding throughout the course of his scuffle. He kicked the terror in the ribs, no response. It was dead. He wiped the blood from his face and sheathed his kokiri sword. His fairy companion, a small, winged ball of light dubbed Navi, reappeared from her hiding place within Link's pointed hat. _

"_Wow, Link! Where did you learn to do that?!" The fairy sung._

"_Link looked down at his small, bloody hands. "I-I don't know," he whispered._

"_Well maybe you're just a natural born killer!" Navi chirped jokingly. It was a harmless comment, but she didn't know that Link would never forget those words. At the age of ten he'd been pressed into sharpening an innate ability that most lack, and even fewer would ever know themselves, the ability to take lives. _

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The soft tapping of hushed footfalls roused Link from his lamenting. As his eyes adjusted to the soft moonlight around him, Zelda's head full of platinum hair came into focus. She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. Link's eyes darted down the alleyway where the sound had come from. Malon and Junto made their approach hefting their baggage and quietly conversing.

"It's time," Link whispered to Zelda as he nudged her. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, looking around the alley, and then at Link. She had insisted on waiting with him instead of getting some extra sleep for the trip, but it seemed she'd managed to do both at the same time. Link rose to his feet, stretching and letting out a soft yawn before helping Zelda to her feet. Still in a lethargic haze, she seemed content to smile at him and make an attempt to wrestle the sleep from her eyes.

Link and Zelda stood side by side in the cramped alley between the innkeeper's home and the Sea Side Inn. Midnight's full moon sprayed the cozy nook with its luminous blue light, making the quaint alleyway seem more majestic than it really was. Behind Zelda rested a small covered wagon, loaded up with supplies and hitched to a pair of horses that waited patiently for instruction, occasionally neighing and scratching the dirt with a restless hoof.

Having finally obtained sufficient funds for their journey, the party had set out to prepare themselves for what was to come. Junto and Malon had paired off and headed into town earlier to get supplies, whilst Link and Zelda procured this wagon and the horses for the trip. After getting what was needed, Link and Zelda had waited in the alleyway by the caravan, ready to leave when Malon and Junto returned. The group had unanimously decided that it would be best to move as a caravan, affording them the least burden and the most efficiency.

Link dusted himself off, feeling half ashamed that he'd been daydreaming on watch. There was really nothing to watch for, but it had been his decision to leave at midnight, so he felt as though his attentiveness was required. Junto and Malon hefted their payload down the alleyway, making a beeline for their waiting comrades. Junto's dark eyes shifted from the caravan to Link and Zelda as he approached, setting down the large sack of supplies beside Link. Malon also hefted a pair of bulging bags of equipment. She stepped to the rear opening in the covered wagon and set her payload down inside, then turned to greet her companions with a silent nod. This whole thing was pretty cloak and dagger at the moment, Malon didn't want to be the first to break the silence.

"Here you go Link, it's the best one I could find," Junto spoke in a hushed tone as he reached into the bag before him and fetched from it a sheathed sword. He handed it to Link, along with a royal blue shield he'd also produced from the bag, he then gathered up the sack and deposited it into the caravan with the rest of the supplies. Link pulled the sword from its scabbard and examined it. It was nothing special, the hilt was an angular knob of some kind of cherry wood and the double edge blade was forged steel. Link frowned. He had a long, drawn out personal history of breaking his swords. His fighting style was brutal, on both his foes and his blades. As he looked into the steel, he knew this sword would, sooner or later, be added to his collection of discarded broken blades. Only the Master Sword could withstand his masterful, however reckless, swordplay indefinitely. Flashing images of that sacred blade filled his mind for a moment. He pushed the thoughts away, if he compared every sword to the master sword, he'd never find satisfaction. He sheathed the blade, fastened its scabbard to his back and began to examine the luminescent blue face of his new shield.

Junto crossed the narrow alleyway over to Zelda. "Where's Talon?" he asked scratching his head.

"Where do you think?" Zelda sighed, motioning towards the caravan. Malon stepped to the rear opening and peered into the darkness of the wagon. She couldn't see anything, but she definitely heard the all too familiar sound of her father's loud snoring. She let out an exasperated sigh. When he slept like that, it was almost impossible to wake him up. Malon cringed at the thought of her past experiences attempting to wake her sleeping father. Once he had rolled over onto her arm as she tried to wake him, leaving her trapped for upwards of half an hour!

"Ugh!" Malon breathed as she gave up on the notion of waking her father. She circumvented to wagon to inspect the horses. She stopped in front of the two chestnut mares and looked them over censoriously. "Way to go," she began enthusiastically. "These horses are in pretty good shape!"

"Yeah, they were the best I could find on such short notice," Link commented distractedly. His seasoned eyes inspected every seam of the shield that Junto brought for him. The royal blue shield was made of cast iron and heavy to a fault. A terrible shield, he didn't even like the handle. The thing felt like more of an ornament than a real fighters shield. Link tried to stay positive; the thick heavy metal could surly take a beating like a champ, so there was an upside at least. He strapped the heavy shield onto his back, dusted himself off, and made his way over to Zelda, who was still standing in a daze, half asleep.

"Hey," Link spoke to her as he unfastened something from his waste. "I got so wrapped up in all the commotion earlier that I forgot to give this to you." Zelda's eyes widened as Link handed her Impa's family sword. She recognized it instantly; she'd trained with Impa since childhood and had never seen that loyal sword leave Impa's side. She took the sword from Link and shot him a pleading look. Impa was the best woman she'd known, more like a mother than a protector. And although Zelda already knew her fate, she had to hear it from Link before she could make herself believe what she already knew. A pang of sadness could be seen in Link's eyes as he looked down at the sword, and then into her eyes.

"Impa," he started slowly. "Wanted you to have this. She said that now it's your duty to carry on the ways of the Shiekan warriors." Link patted Zelda on the shoulder as she took the sword with disheartened hand. Despite her sadness, standing there in that moonlit alley in her Shiekan combat uniform, sword in hand; Zelda really did look like a Shiekan shadow warrior. Despite how much they'd gone through together, Link had never seen Zelda fight, but if she had been Impa's pupil, then he knew he wouldn't be disappointed. Zelda pushed her sadness aside and clutched the hilt of her new sword. It was a katana; a long, thin, single edge sword with a cloth wrapped, diamond patterned hilt. It was a blade of the east, the likes rarely seen in these lands, and even so, rarely desired by those without the skill to use them. However Zelda was perfectly aware of the delicate dance that razor sharp blade could do in the right hands. 'For Impa,' she thought as she tied the rudimentary rope scabbard around her waist. She was going to use this sword in Impa's honor; she would not disappoint her master.

Malon stepped over to her comrades carrying a huge battleaxe over her shoulder. "Seeing as everyone was arming up, I thought I'd pick up a weapon for myself!" She grinned as she hefted the giant blade effortlessly.

"That thing is huge!" Link exclaimed, pointing out the obvious. The double sided axe head was at least three feet wide and an inch thick; it must have weighed a ton! "I think you've been taking too many cues from mister 'my sword is bigger than my body' over here. Link jokingly remarked, motioning towards Junto. Junto just shot him a coy grin as he began to turn away.

"When you children are done out here, come inside so we can set up a game plan," and with that, he left the alleyway.

Malon promptly continued her bragging. "The arms dealer said he'd never met anyone who could actually swing this thing, so he just gave it to me! Apparently he'd been trying to get rid of it for years." Link had actually never considered Malon as a combatant before. It had completely slipped his mind that she would be fighting right along side him.

"Can you use that?" Link asked, still in disbelief.

"Of course, it only weighs eighty pounds at the head," she casually remarked as she spun the axe in a few intricate arcs for show. "You forget that I've done some lumberjack work in my time!" Link just sighed, there was another sword arm in the group, but he started to get the feeling Malon was just going to get in the way

"Don't be upset because a girl is stronger than you," Malon prodded playfully as she stuck out her tongue. Link considered that. He'd know Malon for a long time, and she was _impossibly_ strong. In fact, Link _knew_ the girl could out lift him, and he was by no means a weak man. Of course he would _never_ tell her that.

"Yeah yeah," Link retorted dismissively in an attempt to withdraw from a losing conversation. "So are we done here? Because Junto is waiting."

Zelda picked up on his aversion and chimed in. "Uh oh, is the hero of time shying away from a challenge!" she ribbed. She would never pass up an opportunity to give her little Linkums a hard time! "I say we have an arm wrestling contest!" She pronounced with marked excitement. Link groaned. Now Zelda was in on it. Joining Junto inside was starting to sound better and better. He really needed to make more guy friends. No matter where he went, his female companions always seemed to pick on him.

"Yeah!" Malon piped in.

"For another time ladies," Link said waving his arms dismissively. "In case you've forgotten, we're on the first legs of our mission. C'mon, let's go plan this thing," He spun on his heel and hastily exited the alleyway, eager to join his sensible male compatriot inside the inn. As he walked away, he didn't see Malon and Zelda slap each other an enthusiastic high five before following him inside.

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This corner of the world consisted of two continents; Suud and Rexa. Both continents were shaped not unlike boomerangs facing each other at the open ends. Suud was the slightly larger westernmost continent that lay claim to both the Diamond Archipelago, and Santa Clara, and Rexa was the narrower eastern continent on which Hyrule was situated at the southernmost tip. The two continents "attach" at the northern and southernmost tips of the 'boomerangs', forming a rough diamond shape. In the south, the Diamond Archipelago connects the two land masses, making small boat travel, like that used by Link and his party, possible between the two continents. In the north, the continents were connected by an infamous land bridge built many centuries ago over rough and choppy waters. The building process claimed many lives; however the bridge did offer rudimentary, if not risky, passage between the continents for those brave enough to traverse the slick rocks and harrowing seas for twelve miles to get to the other side.

The plan was circuitous and bold, albeit risky. Hyrule was the nation on the very southern tip of Rexa, bordered only to the north by the desert nation of Boxa. The rest of the country was bordered by the sea. And Junto's destroyed kingdom of Ritz was the northern country of Rexa through which the land bridge was built. After the Garo overtook and slaughtered the people of Ritz, they took up a tentative residence there. And now they would do a similar number on Hyrule, securing the nation long enough for whoever hired the nomadic killers-for-hire to occupy the land to arrive. Now that the Garo had jumped into full force, they would lock down all sea passage between Hyrule and the rest of the world. The plan was to make the journey on foot, or more so by caravan. The party would trek north through Suud, cross the land bridge into Ritz. Then they would have to assassinate the Sorceress whom empowers the Garo warriors with their fell arts of death. Zelda hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of plotting an assassination, but said nothing in light of the gravity of the situation. After killing the sorceress, the party would Journey south through Rexa, and enter Hyrule through its Northern border with Boxa. This is where things get sketchy, at some point along the way; the plan was to enlist the help of enough others that they could have a small force of at least fifty skilled warriors. Upon reaching Hyrule they would break off into teams and run guerilla tactics against the Garo until they could seize an opportunity to kill general Gojin. If the general died, the rest of the Garo would be forced back into roving the shadow world without the power of the sorceress keeping them here.

Zelda let out a high pitched whistle. "That is one hell of a plan," she noted, never taking her eyes off the map on the inn table. Everyone (except for Talon) was gathered around the large table in the inn, staring at the map that had been marked up and drawn all over. Malon stood silent trying to let the plan that they had all just put together sink in. After a few moments, she finally spoke.

"So we navigate a huge continent, cross a treacherous land bridge, plan and execute a major assassination, journey deep into Rexa, Storm into our country and take it back from these bastards, and then have one final harrowing slugfest with that super powerful Gojin guy from before atop the ruins of our decimated capital city?" She looked around at the faces in the room. Everyone was quiet now that Malon had put the plan into words. The eyes of everyone present danced from the map, to the eyes of each other, to those of Malon, and back again, looking for some reassurance that they weren't about to do something completely crazy. Finally, Link spoke up.

"Look guys, I know this sounds crazy, but Hyrule is _my _country and I_will_ fight for her, just as I have so many times before. If any of you don't want to come, I won't think any less of you, and I mean that. This will be deadly dangerous, and yes, there will be blood. And now, even though everyone in Hyrule is-" He paused for a somber moment, and then continued. "Now that everyone in Hyrule is dead, you guys might think me a fool to lay my life on the line for a nation without a people, but I think it is my duty to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. I'll fight for them! Even if I stand alone, I'll stand alone atop our fallen nation's capital, with that bastard Gojin's head at my feet and I'll stand tall. I'll stand for a nation whose people were silenced in a day. I'll stand for the Hyrule that may be soon forgotten in the wake of its destruction. But at least I'll have fought for her, for Hyrule."

Link looked around at the faces in the room, he had never been good at making speeches, but he did his best. And he meant every word he'd said. Finally he placed his hand over the table right above the map.

"Who's with me?" He asked roughly, his voice acting up after his passionate speech. Without hesitation Zelda placed her hand over his and wrapped her other arm around him affectionately.  
"You know you'd be lost without me!" Zelda jested. Malon stepped up and placed her hand on top of Zelda's

"Hyrule is my country too. This may be crazy, but in a way it's an adventure I've always wanted to go on." Malon commented. Now she understood what Link meant long ago when he'd told her that most adventures always start with bloodshed. He'd told her never to forget that, and now she knew. Junto stepped around his chair and placed his hand over Malon's.

"Hyrule is not my country. But my own nation suffered that same fate at the hands of the same foe. While the circumstances were less than desirable, I'm very glad that I've met all of you and I consider you more than friends." Everyone lifted their hands into the air at the same time in a silent cheer.

"It begins," Link breathed.

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The wagon wheels grew quiet as the road gradually shifted from cobblestone to dirt. The caravan had finally set out, headed northwest for the bridge that would allow them to cross from the Island of Santa Clara, onto the main continent of Suud. The further from town the caravan traveled, the more Link began regretting his decision to embark at midnight. The faint glow of the street torches didn't reach this far out of town, and the full moon left many shadows that may house undesirables. Link knew nothing of what lurked in the shadows of this nation, but if it was anything like Hyrule, it was nothing good.

The horses plopped along the dusty road through the gloom, deftly directed by Malon and Talon who sat at the reigns on the wagon, navigating a map in the dull light of the lanterns. The covered wagon was only large enough for the party's cargo, two people to ride inside, and two at the reigns, so the team took turns resting in the wagon, at the reigns of the horses, and walking alongside the caravan on watch for thieves, monsters, and anything else that might attack them. Link had decided to take first watch and briskly marched beside the wagon trying to keep up with the overly ambitious horses.

"C'mon Link! A strapping young man like you can't keep up with these little old horses?" Talon jested from the seat behind the reigns. 'Easy for you to say old man!' Link thought as he struggled to keep up without breaking into jog. The heavy cast Iron shield on his back certainly wasn't helping. 'Junto sure knows how to pick 'em' he thought to himself. He took up a fleeting jog to catch up with the horses before trying his best to conserve energy by breaking into another power walk.

The road from Santa Clara was one of obscurity at this time of night. The four lanterns on either corner of the wagon did little to illuminate the areas off to the sides of the road. In reality the road was nothing more than a dusty path etched out of the grassy hillside by continued travel. The sides of the road were populated with bushes, shrubs, and tall grass. Link frowned, he didn't like it. The full moon cast fingers of pale light from the sky as if straining to touch the road ahead, allowing Link to see faint silhouettes of trees and objects, but never enough to spot any prepared attack that may have been waiting for them. Link did the only thing he could do, keep an eye out. He scanned both sides of the road again.

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Zelda couldn't sleep. Now that they were on their way she was much too excited to sleep. Maybe she would go outside and walk with Link. She smiled to herself as she thought of giving him a hard time. He really was fun to play with, but he knew that she was only kidding. The wagon ran over a rock causing it to bounce and Zelda to knock her head on one of the many boxes within the wagon. She rubbed the spot on her forehead tenderly. 'Ow! I hope that doesn't leave a bump!'

"Damn," a hushed mutter rose from the corner of the cabin. Zelda sat up from the most uncomfortable position she'd been lying in and looked over at Junto. He sat in the corner of the cramped wagon bathed in the sickly yellow light of a dying candle. He was scribbling something into a small leather bound book, or at least he had been. Now he sat frustrated at his inability to write in the wagon without being subject to bumps and jostles that caused him to scrawl ink all across the page. He tore a page from the book and threw it out the back of the wagon, muttering under his breath. He prepared to tear out another one when he noticed Zelda was staring at him.

"Eh, it's hard to write in here," he muttered a little embarrassed. Zelda crossed the tiny cabin over to Junto and sat down on a box across from him.

"What are you writing?" she inquired, casting an interested eye at the book.

"A kind of chronicle, of my travels," Junto replied as he closed up the book and set it to the side. "I like to document my journeys. I don't really know why, but it just seems like a good idea. I started once and actually found that it is a great way to pass the time, very introspective. So now I do it all the time."

"That's really cool," Zelda exclaimed. "So do you keep them somewhere? I mean by now you probably have a whole bunch of those little books filled up right?

"Well yeah, I used to," Junto spoke quietly. "I filled my basement up with these things, I figured one day I'd share a whole bunch of stories with my kids or something." Junto shifted uneasily. "But they were destroyed with my kingdom, so it really doesn't matter." Zelda gasped.

"Your kids!?" she breathed.

"No! My books!" Junto corrected her with an amused grin. Zelda sighed. She just realized that Junto probably thought she was an airhead or something now. As a matter of fact, now that she thought about it, she and Junto had never really had any conversation since she'd met him. She made a mental note to really get to know him before all this was over. She could start by proving that she wasn't an airhead.

"So Junto, how many-" Zelda was interrupted by a shrill whistle from outside. The wagon stopped, sending Zelda careening into a box with a thud.

"That's the signal!" Junto exclaimed as he clamored outside, grabbing his sword along the way. Zelda snatched up her own sword and promptly followed Junto out the back of the wagon, rubbing her sore butt on the way out.

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"Just give us the girl and the wagon and we just _might_ let you live!" The apparent leader of these bandits ordered Link.

"Get out of our way," Link replied calmly, trying not to lose his patience with these vulgar men. In the flickering light of the lanterns on the dusty road, Link stood before the wagon facing the 12 heavily armed, unwashed bandits that blocked the road ahead. The leader of whom seemed to the ugliest smelliest of them all. He wore a breast plate and pair of boots, but left the rest of his body stark naked, allowing full disclosure of his unwashed body. The rest of his men were similarly clad, with incomplete sets of armor they'd surly pillaged. However they seemed to possess the decency not to leave their genitals hanging out.

"These here are _our_ trails, no outsiders," the leader began again. "However if you give us-" He cut himself off as Junto and Zelda rushed from around the side of the wagon to join Link. Zelda wanted to gag, the collective rank odor of this man, coupled with the display of his filthy unwashed genitals made her want to puke. Junto stepped up beside Link taking up a very similar "super calm" demeanor.

"I take it back," the unwashed leader spoke again. "Give me _both_ of these here wild women, and your wagon and I might let you live. Zelda had heard all she needed to hear. She removed Impa's family sword from her waist and held it at the ready. Link held out his hand, motioning for her to stand down. She eased up a bit, but didn't put her sword away, something told her this wasn't going to end peacefully.

"This is the last time I'm going to warn you. You have two options, die or leave. It's that simple," Link stated matter of factly. After a moment of mulling over Link's words, the leader burst out laughing, releasing a wave of putrid breath in Link's direction. The man cackled for a moment and then finally regained his composure.

"Kill them" He finally ordered his bandits. Those were the last words that man ever said. Before his mouth even stopped moving, he was in two halves on the ground. Zelda didn't even see Link take out his sword, much less swing it. The next few seconds were but a blur. Zelda saw the bandits charge, and she saw them die. Zelda watched, incapable of moving as blood sprayed left and right. She caught a few glimpses of Link's green tunic and flashing steel, he was so fast. Somewhere between three and four seconds in, Junto jumped into the fray, joining Link as they deftly cut down men like the grim reaper himself. When there was but one of the bandits left standing, Link high kicked the bandit in the face, causing him to careen to the ground. Link leapt into the air and came down with his boot on the man's windpipe, crushing it and killing him instantly. The whole fight was over in eight seconds.

Zelda had never seen so much blood in her life. She'd never seen Link like that, so cold and detached, so icy and apathetic. In fact, she'd never seen him _kill_ a man. She'd seen him practice swordplay with the guards, and she had seen him fight Ganon long ago, but she'd never seen him like this; snatching away men's lives as though he was plucking plums from a tree. In those short eight seconds, Zelda had learned more about Link than she had in the entire time she'd known him. She remembered the time she'd first met him after his adventure, how broken he was over the things he'd seen and done. Only now did any of this really click with Zelda. She'd never seen the whole picture before. Link was a lot of things. He was a craftsman, a romantic, a hero, a lover, a fighter, a knight and many other wonderful things. But he was also a killer. And he was damn good at it. Zelda loved Link, she always would, but she had never known this side of him. The cool detached killer. She'd never seen him doing what he did best, his _claim to fame_, his talent, what got him where he is today. She stared at Link, transfixed. The images of the last few moments replayed in her mind. His usually amorous face had been a blank slate, the face of a cool headed life taking machine. He didn't even look angry as he forced his steel through those men's bodies. Only apathy had shown on his face, a blank and emotionless expression.

Link kicked the final man hard in the ribs, breaking a few of them but garnering no response. The bandit was dead. Link wiped the blood from his face, then looked down at his rough, callused, and now bloody hands. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him for a moment. And for but an instant, he could hear a tiny voice in the back of his head from years and years ago. _"You're a natural born killer!"_ He didn't know where he'd heard that before, but it was definitely coming back to him now. Link breathed the fire from his lungs, a hot breath he'd been holding the whole time. _"You're a natural born killer!"_


	11. Chapter 11: The Hands of Fate

_Chapter 11: the hands of fate_

_ Link stood before the hulking skeleton warrior in the midst of the hazy dream world, obscure and lacking any real definition. Devoid of flesh or connective tissues, the skeleton's slack jawed gaze and contentious stance didn't faze Link. The bones were ancient, but inhumanly sturdy looking, larger and thicker than those of any man. Tattered remnants of what may have once been an impressive cuirass hung from its chest and shoulders. It didn't have a face, or at least one that could convey emotion, but Link got the distinct feeling that it was glowering at him. He'd faced Stalfos before; they were tough but not unbeatable. The skeleton warrior drew a large marred blade from his back, and donned its heavy shield._

_ "I've been watching you," A slow, deep, rasping voice, like a bear coughing up the words of men._

_ "Yes, I have watched through land and sea and time. I've noted your progress and your follies, and stand before you hefting a mandate that holds precedence over life, death, and the ages. That you survived this long, all the while drowning your foes in your own blood, eludes me. Your laughable homegrown swordplay is clumsy at best." Link shifted his weight uneasily; this was more than a dream. _

_ "Get on with it," Link sneered, He didn't know what he hated more, being watched, belittled, or having his dreams intruded upon._

_ "Ah, but it has long been my duty to train the incarnations, to show them the ways of the blade," The skeleton's jaw didn't move when it spoke. "Here, secluded in this sacred place of dreams, I can forge a grizzled veteran from a disillusioned learner such as yourself in weeks, not years. Which is fortunate as we have not a squirrel's heartbeat to spare._

_ "Incarnations?" _

_ "You are but the latest in a long line of heroes, each arising in a time of strife,"_

_ "Feh," Link spat. "I'm no one's incarnation! I am me! I'm not some puppet to dance on the strings of your sages, your goddesses, or you!" Link tried to subdue the fire that burned in his veins. _

_ This had all come on too fast. Link had pulled the master sword from its pedestal and, just like that, he was now seven years older. His childhood, swept away in the twinkling of an eye. The moment he'd woken up, people he didn't even know began telling him what to do, where to go, and who to see. He hated it! He didn't agree to any of this. All of the weight of the world was thrust upon his shoulders, along with the price of failure. _

_ Link's "benefactors" hadn't even seen fit to outfit him for this quest. Money, weapons, lodgings, provisions, and equipment, all too much to ask for it seemed. Link had spent the day traveling. Desperate to reach the Kakariko village before nightfall, and the terrors that accompanied. Ultimately Link wound up scuttling up a tall tree as hungry eyes looked on in the darkness. _

_ "Ah, but you are far more useful then a puppet. A tool, an arrow that never misses. Long have the Goddesses maintained a balance in this world, and long have you been the weapon of choice." the skeleton boomed. "You are what we tell you to be, and you will be what we make you. You will be the perfect warrior, proficient in all weapons on all fields of battle. You will be able to kill with any weapon, with no weapon, and with magic. Pray, that what you learn will be enough to defeat the demon that thirst for your blood since before the dust of your bones was conceived. Now make that blade ready, from here on your dreams are now forfeit. When this is over, may you have the skills to face the demon man from the desert."_

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Link's booted feet were almost invisible in the darkness. The dark earth seemed to swallow up the deep brown leather as Link's feet dangled out the back of the covered wagon. In order to save oil, Talon had opted to extinguish the rear lanterns, splashing the caravan's wake with a shadowy abyss. Only the soft light of the stars and the waning moon illuminated the obscure road behind them. Link held onto that though for a moment, the roads he'd taken to get here tended to be dark indeed.

Talon craned his neck and peered through the opening into the darkness. The faintest outline of Link could be seen in the darkness of the wagon's interior. After his succinct albeit violent confrontation with those recent bandits, Link hadn't much been in a loquacious mood. He hadn't wanted to kill them in front of the others, but they'd left him little option. Zelda hadn't spoken a word to him since. Talon didn't think she was mad at him, so much as she was in shock or something. He'd had suggested Link get some rest after his battle. They both knew he didn't need it, but the down time would help to undercut the sheer violence of what just transpired.

Talon wasn't a killer, but he'd seen some things in his time. It wasn't his place to decide weather those men should have died, or just gotten their asses kicked. But he was seasoned enough to be realistic about it. He, however, doubted that all of the present company would view this as pragmatically as he had. Talon didn't look like much, but he was wise. In truth he almost enjoyed being underestimated. He knew things. Talon knew that after what they'd just seen, there was no way Zelda , who wasn't accustomed to death, would see Link in quite the same way again. He knew that before this was over, much more blood would be spilled. And he knew that Link had been hiding this side of himself for a very long time. Talon exchanged glances with Malon who sat beside him at the front of the wagon, then turned his attention back to the horses.

"Killing, unfortunately, is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it," Junto breathed. Zelda didn't respond, she just continued to stare at the road ahead. Junto didn't want to be the first to speak, but being the black sheep of this kindred band, he'd decided to make strides to be more sociable. He and Zelda were now on watch, briskly keeping pace with the wagon in the final hour before dawn. They'd been moving along in tacit recognition of the elephant in the room for the better part of an hour.

"The serpent swallows itself and the world keeps on spinning," Junto continued. "For men such as Link and I, who've seen the horrors that can fall upon the weak at the hands of the unjust, there are worse things than felling a collectorate of murderers. Link's is a sword that protects, a rare and valu-"

"I'm not a child!" Zelda finally let out with exasperation. She turned to Junto "I know that those men have done terrible things. And I know that Link was only trying to protect us. I've just never seen him kill a man before," Zelda stopped walking, her eyes fell back on the road ahead. "I somehow didn't allow myself to believe that Link was capable of such...savagery," After a moment she picked up a jog to catch up with the caravan, intentionally pulling away from Junto. She didn't want to discuss this. "I'm sure I'll come to terms with it," she called back. "I just need some time is all," Junto frowned as Zelda ran ahead and kept pace with the wagon. _So much for being sociable_.

* * *

Tektites weren't all dangerous and scary like many people think. Really, only the females were meter long, jumping bugs that attack travelers and lost children. The males on the other hand were no larger than Link's thumb. During his short lived childhood in the Kokiri forest, Link would capture the little critters in bottles before they could burrow into the ground. However much he might have liked these things as a child, Link wasn't especially fond of the dozens of little tektites scampering around on his mattress.

Link stood in the only available room for rent on the damp, shadowy second floor of the _Stubborn Mare_, a dirty and ramshackle country tavern about thirty miles outside of Santa Clara. Although it was midday, the one window that serviced the second floor hallway offered minimal light for the rooms that were likely converted storage repositories. The din of shouting, singing, clanking glasses, and stumbling drunks meandered up the staircase and forced its way through the thin walls. Link sighed, brushing at the insects on the sheets, this was the only place to rest they'd seen since leaving the city three days ago. While the rest of the party was attending to the various tasks of securing the horses and gathering supplies, Link was in charge of securing the lodgings. He wasn't especially proud to be the one who had to sell the crew on this crappy three cot room. But Link would rather sleep on the floor in here than the ground outside any day. Link detested camping in the field. He'd done enough of that for a lifetime. A chill ran down his spine as fleeting memories of sleeping in trees to avoid monsters crossed his mind. Link's thoughts were interrupted by his growling stomach. Setting his gear down by the cot and putting the obnoxious little tektites out of his mind, he headed down the stairs to see if he could coax the old Stubborn Mare into offering up some of it's food.

Stomping the mud off of her boots and brushing a stray strand of red hair behind her ear, Malon pushed open the thick wooden door to the Stubborn Mare. She'd spent the last half hour tending to the horses in the stables and was in the mood for some grub, no matter how crappy it might be. Word on the street was, that this place had terrible food. In fact, the only reason the Stubborn Mare saw so much business was because it was the only tavern for the next hundred miles. _If you build it, they will come_, Malon thought to herself stepping through the threshold into the tavern.

As Malon stepped into the pub, the clean country air gave way to the Stubborn Mare's atmosphere consisting of the smell of smoke, alcohol, and bad consciences A cacophony of discordant singing, shouting, clanking glasses and all manner of noise assaulted Malon's ears from all corners of the large chamber. The room was hardly worthy of aesthetic appreciation. Cheap, wooden barrels had been converted into both chairs and tables alike, ensuring that anyone sitting would bump their knees against the edges of the make shift tables. Exactly one, sad painting of a flying cuckoo adorned the far wall of the rectangular room. Lanterns adorned every corner of the room, and an out of place steel chandelier hung from the ceiling, wrapping the room in a surprisingly impressive volume of light. Malon noticed Link sitting at the bar off to the far right tearing into a loaf of bread. She made her way over, doing her best to avoid the stares of drunken farmers and cattle hands.

Link was relieved when Malon plopped down on the bar stool next to him and greeted him with a grin and an endearing slap on the back. He didn't know why, but for some reason, she was exactly who he wanted to see right now. Was it because Zelda still wasn't speaking to him? Maybe he just didn't want to eat alone, or maybe it was something else all together.

"Why so glum chum?" Malon chimed in enthusiastically, interrupting Link's thoughts.

"Have you ever felt like you were trapped in a catch twenty two?" Link questioned after a moment. "It's like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't, you know?"

"Your talking about the rabbity princess." Malon affirmed. "She may yet come around sooner or later, but it's probably safe to assume it'll be later," She added skeptically.

"How can anyone be so quixotic after seeing their whole country burn to the ground in a day?"

"You're asking the wrong questions. The fair princess of Hyrule is known for her austere sense of Justice," Malon placed a hand on Link's shoulder and he met her gaze. "My mother used to tell me that even a thousand men cannot undress a naked man," she noted sagely.

Malon was trying to approach this delicately. She cared about Link. A lot. But she didn't want to be the bad guy here. Zelda and Link were a sort of "power couple" in Malon's book. And when hard times hit couples like that, they hit hard. Personally, she thought that Link could do better. She liked Zelda, they were actually fast becoming friends on this trip of theirs. However that didn't mean that Malon was willing to concede Link to her. Much of the pain and anguish Link had gone through in his life had, at least in part, been Zelda's doing. Malon also didn't much like how Link's moods hinged with how Zelda was treating him at the moment.

"What are you saying?" Link asked with a note of melancholy that made Malon flinch. She hadn't realized how hard this was hitting Link until just now.

Malon was not a dense woman. Although she was raised on a ranch, she'd learned a lot of lessons from life that many people aren't perceptive enough to grasp. She was cunning, pragmatic, and stubborn to a fault, all traits she'd picked up from her father. She also happened to be good at reading people, and Link was definitely not himself. Malon mentally kicked herself for not noticing sooner. She was torn between giving him a big hug, or punching Zelda in the face. Malon continued.

"I'm saying that those who are noble are obligated to act nobly," Malon clarified. "Zelda is the summation of a lifetime of disregard for the harsh realities of life. She doesn't allow herself to see that this world is a dark place, and that only through the works of good men, like you, can it get any brighter. Sure, there may be two legged dogs that must be slain along the way, but they reaped what they sewed," Malon reached over and took a swig of water from Link's mug, pleased with herself and the advice she'd given.

Link grinned. He'd officially been cheered up.

"When did you get so wise?" Link ribbed, returning Malon's long forgotten slap on the back.

"Probably during all those years you'd been ignoring me!" Malon shot back playfully. "Anyway, this is our day off, let's drink!!" Malon exclaimed hailing the bartender.

Link hadn't noticed a lot of things about Malon until just that moment. He hadn't noticed that she was far more wise than she was given credit for. He hadn't noticed that she seemed to genuinely care about Link. He also hadn't noticed the way a strand of her hair always fell over her right eye, and the cute way she kept brushing it back behind her ear. He had noticed how pretty Malon was, but his previous notations didn't seem to do her justice. He hadn't noticed that when their eyes met for that moment, there was something he couldn't quite- Link stopped himself. He and Malon were childhood friends and nothing more. He needed to get out of their and find Zelda before he betrayed himself!

Zelda had though that the more time she'd given herself, the more she would come to accept what had happened out on the road that night. However the more she thought about it the more angry with Link she became. She'd gone over the scenario in her head a thousand times, and she saw a million different ways that confrontation could have gone. Link could have just disarmed those bandits, or beat them up. Hell, he could have called her and she'd have used her magic to debilitate them. Killing them so coldly, it was an excess. There was no need to spill so much blood. Her fists were clenched now.

Zelda stood alone in the waning daylight hours as the night sky threatened to swallow up the last slivers of light from the sky. She was leaning against the wooden fence off the side of the road that ran adjacent to the front of the Stubborn Mare. After gathering the last of the supplies they needed, Zelda had quickly stowed them in the room and headed back outside, she didn't like that place. Drunken men with predatory eyes had looked her up and down as she passed by. As she approached the door, she'd noticed Malon and Link sitting at the bar. She wasn't the jealous type, but for some reason, seeing them together like that, really rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe she just didn't like that she was so irritated with Link and no one else seemed bothered with him. So now she stood alone outside the bar, sorting her thoughts and trying to compose herself. This wasn't her at all, why was she so irritable right now? As if on cue, to exemplify the worst timing of all time, Link stepped out of the tavern, spotted her, and made his way over.

"Hey," Link chimed as he jogged up. After his conversation with Malon, he'd found himself doubting the relationship he was in, so he'd come to do what he did whenever he was unsure; attack the problem head on.

"I know you're still mad at me or whatever, but look," Link began.

"Don't Link. Just don't," Zelda interrupted "You should go,"

"I know you're mad, but I'm not going anywhere," Link imposed. "We should at least talk about this,"

"There's nothing to talk about," Zelda noted calmly. "I'm not mad at you Link, I've just started to see who you are. If anything I'm mad at myself for not noticing sooner," Link's heart skipped a beat. Zelda went on.

"It was strange really, it's like this whole time we've been together, I've been putting you on this pedestal, like you're some kind of saint or something. But now, I see that you are just a man, like any other I've met. You really aren't even all that special,"

"You're right, I am just a man," Link noted, trying to keep this thing floating. "I don't know where this is coming from Zelda! Just a few days ago we were fine. Everything was fine!" Without missing a beat, Zelda fired off another salvo.

"You're cocky too, and you aren't even that good looking; average really," Zelda added almost vindictively. "When I was in the castle some of the most handsome men on the continent were vying for my hand. The one thing you are good at is playing with your sword, which is admirable. But it turns out that you're just an undisciplined killer, with little regard for the value of human life!" Link sighed, walked over and leaned against the fence beside Zelda, placing his gauntleted forearms against the rough wooden surface and looking up at the new moon.

"How long have you hated me so?" Link breathed, watching the clouds roll in.

"I've never seen you so venomous,"

"Apparently we've both missed a lot about each other," Zelda spoke coolly. Link frowned. He couldn't possibly comprehend the sophistication of what was being put into motion right now. He didn't know that there was little time to stop the key from turning, and that forces well outside of his control were working on the two of them in unfortunate ways.

"So what happens now," Link questioned between clenched teeth. Zelda gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"If you hate me so, what happens now, between you and me?"

"Link what are you talking about?" Zelda questioned, a bit frantic now. "I love you, I've always loved you!" Link tensed up. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she toying with him? Rubbing salt in his fresh emotional wounds? He spun around and flashed Zelda a furious look.

"What is this, a game to you? People who love each other don't tear each other down like you just did! I don't know what you think you're doing, but you can play your games on someone else! We're done here!" Link spun on his heel and started back towards the bar. Zelda grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait! What are you saying Link!?" She was on the edge of tears now. "Why are you so angry with me?" Link pulled away violently. He couldn't believe this woman. Where had this all come from. He hurried back towards the bar. The tektites would be better company than that he was keeping now! Link ignored Zelda's pleas as he hurried away, not looking back.

Zelda couldn't believe what was happening! Why was Link so mad? She'd been sitting on the fence alone one moment, and the next Link was there, furious at her. She had no idea what just happened, but everything she said to Link seemed to make him draw further and further away. She would sit out there on the fence for almost another hour replaying the conversation in her head, trying to make heads or tails of it before finally resigning back into the tavern.

Cold, steely eyes watched Zelda retreat from the rapidly cooling night air into the tavern. This plan was moving forward better than expected...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Many people enjoy bathing; they find it to be a cathartic experience. Soaking their bodies in warm water, they seem to wash their cares away as if life's problems were no less fleeting than the daily grime. Link was not one of those people. Taking cold and joyless baths, he bathed in the same utilitarian manner that he did most things. He tended to scrub almost painfully hard, and found little enjoyment in his bath time. The irony was that those proponents of cathartic bathing would describe time spent bathing as an opportunity to be free of worries, and Link had a lot to worry about. Perhaps this bathing routine was a metaphor for his life, or maybe his cares were stained onto him, well beyond the realm of being purged by mere soap and water. Whatever the reason, Link was disinclined to prolong this session any longer than it had been. He groped around the bottom of the tub, located the drain stopper and gave it a swift tug. The drain gurgled and spat as the lukewarm water drained from the tub in an opaque vortex of grime and suds.

The only latrine on the second floor of the Stubborn Mare was just as dark and repressive as the rest of the building, if not more so. Even with the radiant dawn sun streaming through the open window, Link couldn't shake the feeling that he was in a hole in the ground. The hustle and bustle the tavern had hosted the night before had given way to a quiet country morning. With all of the Stubborn Mare's patrons gone home, only Link's motley crew and the tavern's owner stirred about. The cramped washroom housed a small steel tub, an unimpressive vanity, and a sink with running water, a valued commodity that Link was only just getting used to. Many provinces in Hyrule didn't have the technology to forge the elaborate pipe systems required for running water. Out here on the opposing continent however, it seemed such things were commonplace.

The sun eased its way out from behind a cloud and its warmth gently roused Link from his thoughts. He had gone straight to bed after that incident with Zelda last night, hoping to escape from his frustration in a world of dreams. Upon waking this morning in the same unpleasant mood, Link had figured that now was as good a time as any to try to enjoy his bath time as so many others did. However it was clear now that it would take somethings much less trivial than a bath to ease his mind.

Link left large wet footprints on the polished wood floor as he stepped from the tub and made his way over to the vanity, snatching up his towel and drying off along the way. He eyeballed his naked reflection in the full length mirror, not dashing, but he was handsome. Link wasn't a large man, but he was dense, wiry, and well built. Tight corded muscles wrapped around his medium frame. On the other hand, scars marked his body here and there. He sighed. Link wasn't one to get hung up on appearances, especially not his own. But every word that Zelda had spoken to him last night had left deeper scars than any of these old wounds. Maybe it was him. Maybe he'd said or done something that had set Zelda over the edge. Link ruminated over these things as he began dressing. What was the deal with her claiming to be clueless at the end? How could she just tear him down like she did, then pretend nothing happened, as if Link would simply play along with her ruse and they could both forget the hurtful words she'd used to eviscerate him moments before. Of these things Link didn't know, and increasingly didn't care. A second glance into the mirror revealed his own glowering face. He continued to dress himself and make ready. The caravan would be leaving soon.

Zelda punched the wall once more, leaving a small bloody smear where her knuckles had impacted. _Where is this coming from?_ She'd never been the angry type, but she was so furious right now. It was as though she was losing control of everything in her life. Zelda was sitting on the floor in the party's shared second story room rubbing her knuckles and deciding weather or not the wall deserved another dose of punishment. Everyone had left earlier in order to make ready for departure, but Zelda had stayed behind to sort out her thoughts. For the hundredth time she replayed the events of the previous night in her mind. She'd gone outside to get some air, and the next thing she knew, Link was standing there fuming mad and rebuking her. The way he was behaving, it was as though she'd said something to him, but she hadn't! And now, she couldn't control her anger, she punched the wall again. There had to be some kind of explanation for this, and she was going to figure it out. Zelda's thoughts were interrupted when Malon stepped into the room, a concerned look on her face.

"What?" Zelda barked. Producing the most irritated look she could muster. Malon, unphased, slowly made her way over and knelt down beside Zelda. She eyed the wall, and then Zelda's bleeding knuckles.

"Are you feeling alright?" Malon began, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "I know we're not all that close or anything, but if you need to talk to somebody, I'll listen," Zelda slapped Malon's hand away.

"Like you talked to Link last night?" Zelda fired back. "I saw you two at the bar!" She breathed through gritted teeth. Malon raised an eyebrow, she didn't like the implication here.

"Is that what this is about?" Malon sighed. "In case you'd forgotten, Link and I are old friends. I've known him longer than you have. I don't know what you're implying, but Link wouldn't do that to you," Zelda's hands where clenched into little fists now.

"You can keep your words," Zelda spat. "Just stay away from him, he doesn't need you poisoning his mind," Malon had exhausted her cordiality with this woman. She grabbed Zelda by the collar of her sheikan uniform, bringing their faces very close.

"Look _princess_," Malon began with marked irritation. "I don't know where this is coming from, but I'm not going to sit here while you project all of your insecurities onto me. Personally, I think Link should drop your ass, but that's just me. What I do know is that he was pretty messed up after whatever you said to him last nite. And knowing Link as I do, I'm pretty sure that whatever was said, I'm on his side," Malon released Zelda's collar. "If you decide you're done being a bitch come talk to me, in the meantime get your shit together, we're leaving in an hour," Before Malon had even stopped speaking, Zelda's fist made clean contact with her cheek, sending reeling backwards with a thud.

"You just made a big mistake _princess_, we're not in the castle anymore," Malon charged at Zelda, tackling her against the wall. Zelda swept Malon's legs out from under her, sending them both careening to the floor in a writhing ball of aggression. Zelda was tough, but Malon was much stronger, after a fair amount of wheedling, she pinned Zelda against the floor, sitting on her back and twisting her arm in an unnatral direction.

"I HATE YOU!!" Zelda wheezed from under Malon's oppressive grasp, having been disarmed of all other manner of conflict. Malon gingerly touched her cheek with her index finger. It'd be red for a while, but she didn't think it would swell. Lucky for Zelda.

"You and me, Zelda." Malon started as she stood up, released Zelda, and began to make her way out of the room. She stopped in the doorway. "I don't think we're on the same page,"

The sky is essentially the same no matter where you are in the world. But for some reason he couldn't place, Junto was pretty sure that the sky was exceptionally beautiful in this little valley where the caravan had chosen to stop the night before. In the cloudless dawn, the sun crept from behind the mountains, spilling sunlight into the valley. From his perch atop the cart of the covered wagon, it felt like the sky was stretching down towards him. Junto turned to address the footfalls that were softly making their way towards him. Link was meandering towards the covered wagon, he had a lost expression on his face and didn't seem to notice Junto at first.

"Why the long face?" Junto called down curiously from atop the wagon. Link stopped, looked up and slowly met his gaze.

"Have you ever heard the expression that no snowflake ever falls in the wrong place?" Link asked in a rare and quixotic manner. Link's question was rhetorical. "I'm a victim to the impact of these words," Junto slid off of the wagon cover, plopping onto the ground less gracefully than he'd hoped. He stepped over to Link, stopping a few feet before him.

"I don't know what's eating you, but maybe I can help," Junto pointed up at the sky and Link followed his gesture with his eyes. "Whenever I'm lost, I look to the sky. No matter how badly things may be going, or where you are in this world, that sky will always be the same. Even on the darkest of nights, the sun is shining brightly somewhere else on this world of ours," Junto was pacing now. "The serpent swallows itsself and the world keeps on turning," Junto punctuated his motivational speech by slapping Link on the back. So cheer up!" Link grinned.

"You know you're pretty bad at this whole motivational speaking thing," Link ribbed, actually feeling a bit better.

"What can I say," Junto began, punching Link in the arm. "I'm a victim to the impact of my own words!" He proclaimed doing his best to mock Link by imitating his tone of voice.

The two friends continued to converse as they loaded the wagon and readied the horses. They spoke of things the journey ahead would bring, challenges they'd face, and the end state of their success. It'd been a while since Link had allowed himself a friendly conversation. Just when Link was beginning to forget his qualms within the fog of conversation, a shrill scream from inside the inn cut it's way into Link and Junto's dialogue. Junto jumped from the wagon, Link spun on his heel, and they both sprinted for the inn, no idea what was waiting for them within.


	13. Chapter 13: Secondhand Marionettes

Link's shoulder slammed into the wooded front door of the Stubborn Mare at full sprint, throwing it open and rocking it off of its hinges. He and Junto spilled into the foyer of the barroom and found themselves face to face with a massive garo hunter; a shrouded hulking mass of muscle and steel that was more akin to an armed bear in a trench coat than any manner of man. It was fast. The ten foot tall wretch swung a wicked scythe in a wide arc towards Link. Link's reflexes reacted faster than his mind, he tucked and rolled to his left, stumbling over a bar stool and landing clumsily on the floor. The swing went wide, cleaving a table in two and embedding the head of the scythe into the soft wooden floor. That was all the opening Junto needed, he grabbed the back of a nearby chair and charged the monstrosity, slamming the legs of the chair into its ribs. It howled and took a step backwards. The infuriated hunter produced a wicked bastard sword from within its coat and lashed out at Junto, who tried using the chair as a shield. The cheap wood splintered like a bundle of twigs, the force of the blow sending Junto reeling backwards into a nearby table. These fighting conditions were less than ideal. He frantically scrambled here and there, trying to avoid more vicious slashes from the hunter. The monster thrashed around the room like a feral beast swinging wild and sending chairs and tables flying in all directions. It flung a chair at Junto and the heavy angular seat slammed into his back. "Gah!", Junto howled as he clambered to the ground on all fours. The garo stepped forward and grasped Junto by the neck, wrapping its massive fingers around his throat and lifting him off the ground.

Link was on his feet now. He chanced a quick look around the room. The bottom floor of the Stubborn Mare was empty save for the three of them. Junto and the massive garo were at odds in the center of the room, the beast had pounced on Junto and it looked like it was strangling him. It's sheer size made the room appear more suffocating than it was. The garo stooped to fit properly into the room, causing its greatcoat to drape the floor around it like a giant shadow, which added to its perceived massiveness. Link had to act fast. He rushed to the garo's discarded scythe and grasped the handle. Two stern pulls was sufficient to remove the blade from the floor.

Junto desperately clawed at the garo's mitts in an increasingly futile attempt to free himself from its oppressive grasp. His struggling only caused the fiend's vise-like grip to tighten. The room began to spin. Junto's ears only conveyed to him the hollow internalized sound of his own desperately pounding heart. He could feel a nauseating lightheadedness taking over. Just before the lights went out, the wet hacking sound of steel cleaving through flesh and bone rang out from behind the garo who, wide eyed, finally released its grip. Junto fell to the floor and scampered backwards, gasping for breath and putting a good distance between himself and the abomination. Link had swung as hard as he could, lodging the the blade of the scythe at least a foot into the small of his foe's back. He ruthlessly cranked the handle like a lever, twisting the blade, severing tissues and rupturing organs. And finally, mortally wounded and hemorrhaging a thick, black, congealed blood, the beast resigned its rage. It righted itself and sat to the floor, still towering six feet from the deck. Then...it began to laugh.

"We should have died a long time ago you and I," The wounded behemoth mused between chuckles. Unsure weather this beast was referring to Junto or himself, Link stared on with raised eyebrows. Exchanging words with a garo was rare. "You, me, the rest of the garo, we all have our masters. And we are all just tools in the hands of our...'benefactors'. We're made to do their bidding in order to further some ambiguous cause that our living eyes will never witness," Thick black blood continued to roll from the creature's wound, down the blade and over the handle of the scythe. "We are secondhand marionettes, discarded long before the last curtain call. Only in death can we truly be free from this accursed existence." The garo shifted uncomfortably. The blood was dripping onto Link's boot now, spattering across the thick leather in viscous black droplets. "For cutting my strings, let me tell you something useful," The garo met Link's gaze. "Your princess is not who you think she is," It choked out enigmatically.

"Explain!" Link demanded, grabbing the fallen warrior by the cowl. The garo however, had nothing more to say on the matter. Despite the thick black cloak that masked the garo's entire visage, Link was almost positive that it flashed a toothy grin from under it's shrouds.

"To die without leaving a corpse, that is the way of us Garo," Link's eyes went wide. _Everything had been going so well_. With a blinding flash and deafening thud, the garo exploded violently, sending tables, chairs, and Link flying in all directions. The blast flung Link across the room like a rag doll, forcefully slamming him into the far wall. Link slumped down and crumbled to the floor. "No!" Junto called out desperately from across the barroom. He couldn't hear his own startled cry over the ringing in his ears, a monotonous chorus that punctuated the gravity of the situation. He ran across the room, jumping past overturned chairs and tables and came to Link's side. Link lay in an unnatural position in the corner of the room against the wall. Blood had streaked along the wall where Link's head had hit and slid down and was now pooling under his head.

"Don't move Link! I'm gonna get you out of this," Junto's words belied a confidence that he didn't quite possess. This looked pretty bad, and this was the second head injury He'd seen Link sustain in a month's time. Link's eyes slowly fluttered open. His lips parted and he began to speak.

"Go get the girls," Link breathed weakly through gritted teeth. "I'll be fine," He was lying, but he needed to be sure that the others were all right. Link blinked a few times. It did nothing to dissipate a hazy white cloud obscuring his vision. Junto grabbed Links hand and clasped it tightly.

"I'll be right back man, I swear. Just don't move!" With that, Junto dashed through the isles of tables across the room towards the stairs, picking up the fallen garo's sword along the way. All that screaming they'd heard, there was surly trouble waiting.

Zelda shivered uncontrollably as her naked body pressed against the cold stone wall of her cell. She couldn't tell weather her shaking was the work of these frigid stones, or the icy gaze of the man on the other side of the bars. He had been staring at her for the better part of ten minutes now. His piercing eyes danced behind a pair of unflattering eyeglasses, looking her up and down remorselessly. His icy gaze chilled Zelda to the bone and she was sure that even if she were wearing clothes she'd still have been shaking like a leaf.

Zelda was living a nightmare. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten here, or how long she'd been in this dungeon. Windowless and apparently soundproof, her prison had seemed determined to wrap her in a blanket of madness. For what felt like days she had lay there shackled naked to the wall, screaming into the pitch black abyss. Her only company had been the echoes of her own frantic screams and her unfettered imagination. She had killed time trying to envision the kind of people who would lock her in a place like this, always appearing twisted and distorted in her minds eye. As though a person's evil intentions yielded them to wretched and unpleasant appearances. For a time she howled at her unseen captors. Challenging them and spitting curses. She had, at first, simply wanted to see another person. As though to know there were others here would prove to herself that she was still alive, and not living out some eternal damnation. But that changed a short time ago when a tall, silhouette strode into the pitch black room on hushed feet and stopped on the other side of the bars. Zelda had gasped, startled that she had suddenly found herself with an audience, and unaware of how long he'd been standing there. A torch had suddenly come on behind him, causing her now failing night vision to further shroud his visage into darkness.

The man spoke not a single word, he simply stood there in silence, staring. The flickering torch on the wall behind him occasionally caused a glimmer to refract from his glasses, revealing the man's glacial blue eyes. Zelda had been so angry and frustrated before, but now that this man was here, fear of the unknown began to creep into her thoughts. She glowered at him with the most wretched look she could muster, fighting him in the only way she could. However in all her defiance she mirrored his reticence, as though to speak first would be to lose this terrifying game he was playing with her. This tacit duel had been going on for what must have been fifteen minutes now, and with every minute Zelda's shivering had grown more violent. Now, under the eye of this man in the darkness, her teeth audibly chattered and the manacles around her wrists rattled against the chain.

When Link stumbled into a groggy semi-consciousness sometime in the night, his eyes had already been open. A momentary inkling of curiosity swept over him as he wondered how long he'd been lying there, lifelessly staring at the ceiling like a dead man. He felt a lake of cold sticky blood underneath his head. The once fresh blood had long cooled into the lukewarm soup that now clung to the back of Link's head. His thoughts garbled and his body solid stone, only Link's eyes slowly surveyed the room. The barroom was as battle-scarred and cluttered as he'd left it, although it seemed the hours had slipped by since he'd lost consciousness. Without the sun streaming through the windows, the gloomy barroom appeared even more oppressive than before. Oppressive and lonely. For some reason the combination of the bleak room and the hours he'd apparently been lying there left Link feeling abandoned. He lay there for a short while, recounting the chain of scenes that had led him here. Where had everyone gone and how long had he been lying here? Just as Link began to ruminate on this the shadow of a figure off to his right caught his eye. His eyes fell on a woman kneeling beside him a few feet to his right. How long had she been there? Was he hallucinating? He blinked several times, refusing to allow his eyes to play tricks on him, but she did not disappear.

For only a moment, the haze began to clear from Link's vision. He seized the opportunity to fully scrutinize the woman kneeling beside him. He blinked a few more times. She was nothing short of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Despite the poor lighting and Link's failing vision, he could see that all of her features seemed to light up the room. Chestnut hair, striking emerald green eyes, a heart shaped face, a cream colored complexion, and a simple but elegant blue sundress. As Link dazedly took it all in, she reached down and and gingerly touched his cheek. Her warm fingers were water to a man dying of thirst. She smiled at him

"You always did give so much of yourself," Her voice was velvet. "We've been watching you Link. All the days of your life we've been watching you," Link's lips parted, but only the pathetic hissing of his shallow breath escaped. As much blood as he'd lost, he'd probably never utter another word before he breathed his last. The woman leaned in, placing her face close to Link's. She smelled like cinnamon. "You can rest now," The pure warmth of her words melted away Link's lingering apprehension towards his coming embrace with death. As he struggled to understand who this woman was, or why she was here, she placed the softest of kisses onto his lips. Despite Link's weak pulse his heart skipped a beat. Immediately Link felt a wave of lethargy wash over him. _The kiss of death?_ Was this what dying was like? He fought to keep his eyes open, focusing as much a he could on this woman's emerald green eyes. So beautiful. She gently lifted his head, still sticky with blood, from the floor and rested it on her lap. "Don't fight it Link" She whispered, as if to coax him into the jaws of death. As Link slipped into oblivion, his final thought was that this woman's dress, now smeared with his own carnage, was surly ruined. She never did stop smiling...


End file.
